What do you have engraved on your dogs' tags?

[Claire]

Maybe I'm just paranoid but I have only my mobile on one side and OH's mobile on the other side.

No home address and no home number (I think there is a way of finding out an address from a tel number).  I also did not put on the tag that she is microchipped (although she is) because if anyone responsible picked her up they'd ring the number and we both have our phones on us at all times.    There's no need to scan her microchip if they can see our phone number.

I see the benefit of the chip as in case her tag has fallen off or if someone irresponsible picked her up.

In the case of the latter I would rather they did not know she was chipped.  If they take her to the vets unaware that she is chipped, the vets will realise she is stolen and we will get her back.  I figured if they knew she was chipped they might avoid a vets for fear of being found out.

It may sound ridiculous, but I know someone who got their dog back after 'new owners' took it to the vet and discovered she was chipped and belonged to someone else.  Would they have taken her to the vets if they thought they'd get caught out this way?  Thus, Ruby's tag does not say she's chipped.

[LoveCatz]

We have our home tel number and the fact that they are microchipped on Pepsi and Woody's - nothing else.

[Rhona W]

I've ordered my new tags today. They have on them - my surname, house number and postcode, mobile number and microchipped.

I hope people who have newly posted on this thread read the first few pages and are aware that it is a legal requirement to have owner's name and address on the tag. I think failure to do this can result in a fine of up to £5000!

[LoveCatz]

I think I'll take the chance  but thanks.

[Cob-Web]

I hope people who have newly posted on this thread read the first few pages and are aware that it is a legal requirement to have owner's name and address on the tag. I think failure to do this can result in a fine of up to £5000!

What worries me is the fact the Council officers can seize your dog from you if its not wearing a legal tag - even if it is leashed and under control 

I doubt it would ever happen - but I'm not enough of a rebel to flout the law, especially when the dog trainer at the class we are currently doing is an Animal Enforcement Officer for the Council 

[sarahp]

I hope people who have newly posted on this thread read the first few pages and are aware that it is a legal requirement to have owner's name and address on the tag. I think failure to do this can result in a fine of up to £5000!

The highest recorded fine in the UK for a dog not properly tagged was £3200 - not sure when this was enforced - todays useless piece of information 

[Joules]

I think I'll take the chance  but thanks.

Obviously I'm a rebel too! 

[shonajoy]

I'm a rebel too then, honestly - it's just silly.

[Cob-Web]

I'm a rebel too then, honestly - it's just silly.

It is silly, very silly (like many laws), but the law was passed 15 years ago - and devised before that; and was not future proofed to adapt to the developments in technology that allows us to be contactable wherever we are and for our dogs to carry our contact details within their body   

The problem is, that changing laws cost a lot of money (taxes) - so there are lots of "silly" laws that are pretty harmless on the whole, that are left alone as it would cause more of an outcry from the electorate to "waste" money by changing them 

[PennyB]

I hope people who have newly posted on this thread read the first few pages and are aware that it is a legal requirement to have owner's name and address on the tag. I think failure to do this can result in a fine of up to £5000!

What worries me is the fact the Council officers can seize your dog from you if its not wearing a legal tag - even if it is leashed and under control 

I doubt it would ever happen - but I'm not enough of a rebel to flout the law, especially when the dog trainer at the class we are currently doing is an Animal Enforcement Officer for the Council 

I think the fact that your dog can be returned to you at all straight away would be enough for hard pressed dog wardens.

Also I checked with my council (i.e the dog warden himself) and they agreed that its fine that you don't have to have your address on the dog tag (just as I don't have my address in full view on my luggage) --- as a single woman on my own I refuse to as well!

[shonajoy]

I'm a rebel too then, honestly - it's just silly.

It is silly, very silly (like many laws), but the law was passed 15 years ago - and devised before that; and was not future proofed to adapt to the developments in technology that allows us to be contactable wherever we are and for our dogs to carry our contact details within their body   

The problem is, that changing laws cost a lot of money (taxes) - so there are lots of "silly" laws that are pretty harmless on the whole, that are left alone as it would cause more of an outcry from the electorate to "waste" money by changing them 

I do realise that - my point being, ALL of us flout laws, and it's up to us what we find acceptable. I think this is silly, so I flout it. I think drinking and driving is indefensible, so I don't.

[Rhona W]

Hi All.
Didn't mean to cause an argument over whether or not the law is right. It was just at the beginning of the thread some people said they were not aware of it and I thought people posting on page 5 may not have read this point at the beginning. 
Personally as I have to buy tags anyway, I'm getting them engraved with my surname, house number and postcode and mobile phone number. (That way unscrupulous people can't just ring my house and come round when I'm out!)
I'd rather just comply with this law (stupid or not) than risk being fined. £3200!  Just think of all the 'real' criminals that don't get fined anywhere near that!
So as long as you are aware, whether or not you choose to comply is entirely up to you. 
And as for drinking and driving, I think that law should be changed to zero tolerance - but that's a whole new thread! 

[shonajoy]

Hi All.
Didn't mean to cause an argument over whether or not the law is right. It was just at the beginning of the thread some people said they were not aware of it and I thought people posting on page 5 may not have read this point at the beginning. 
Personally as I have to buy tags anyway, I'm getting them engraved with my surname, house number and postcode and mobile phone number. (That way unscrupulous people can't just ring my house and come round when I'm out!)
I'd rather just comply with this law (stupid or not) than risk being fined. £3200!  Just think of all the 'real' criminals that don't get fined anywhere near that!
So as long as you are aware, whether or not you choose to comply is entirely up to you. 
And as for drinking and driving, I think that law should be changed to zero tolerance - but that's a whole new thread! 

Absolutely! I do think though, once they have made the point and fined one person, they won't do it again, it's just to deter others. Personally, I'd rather not comply for security reasons, but of course it's up the the individual. I was just trying to make the point that everyone sort of has their own take on it, be it this, or breastfeeding, or taking sickies from work - and that there are loads of angles. Legally, I think it's silly - but of course it's individual cjhoice

[PennyB]

Hi All.
Didn't mean to cause an argument over whether or not the law is right. It was just at the beginning of the thread some people said they were not aware of it and I thought people posting on page 5 may not have read this point at the beginning. 
Personally as I have to buy tags anyway, I'm getting them engraved with my surname, house number and postcode and mobile phone number. (That way unscrupulous people can't just ring my house and come round when I'm out!)
I'd rather just comply with this law (stupid or not) than risk being fined. £3200!  Just think of all the 'real' criminals that don't get fined anywhere near that!
So as long as you are aware, whether or not you choose to comply is entirely up to you. 
And as for drinking and driving, I think that law should be changed to zero tolerance - but that's a whole new thread! 

Like a great number of laws there is discretion and I find the council are more likely to personally threaten people with fines if they don't have tags at all which imho is more important. Your dog has to end up being picked up by the dog warden several times before they would consider a fine and that would most likely be because you had no tag at all rather than incomplete details. The dog wardens have a job just trying to catch the strays in my area rather than have a go at me for not having my address on my dog tag. I'd like to know if anyone has been fined at all re not having an address on their dog tag

I would have no problem though with registering my dogs with my full address with the council

[sniffsniff]

Also I checked with my council (i.e the dog warden himself) and they agreed that its fine that you don't have to have your address on the dog tag (just as I don't have my address in full view on my luggage) --- as a single woman on my own I refuse to as well!

My OH's best mate is a dog warden in York. It was him who advised us to have name & address ( or house number/postcode) on the tag as the local council are VERY keen to enforce the law when it comes to unsupervised/stray dogs. Although it's highly unlikely Trixie would wander away from us (she's a home bird!) it's a chance that we can't afford to take. £3200  



Mary.