The 9 Best Dog ID Tags of 2023

Best Overall

GoTags Stainless Steel Pet ID Tag

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These tags are made of stainless steel—which won’t rust—and they are available in two sizes. Plus you also get your choice of eight shapes, including bow ties, bones, flowers, hearts, and stars. Two-sided engraving means there’s room for up to eight lines of text, such as your name, multiple phone numbers (including your vet’s), allergies, and your address. They’re practical, serviceable, and reasonably-priced, with enough customization options that you have meaningful choices without feeling overwhelmed.

It also helps that GoTags are so widely available, including on Amazon, Chewy, and Petco retail sites. If you want a very specific design, color, or material, look elsewhere, but GoTags are easy to design, affordable, and practical. 

Price at time of publish: $9

_{Tag Material: Stainless steel | Sizes: 1-inch, 1 ⅓- inch | Shapes: Bow tie, flower, heart, house, badge, rectangle, round, star}

Best Collar Tag

Boomerang CollarTags

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Collar tags fit around your dog’s collar instead of dangling from it, which keeps them laying flat against the collar strap. This has several advantages over a standard ID tag, since they won’t dangle into a water bowl or get caught. Since they lay flat against your dog’s collar, collar tags are also completely quiet. 

Boomerang CollarTags not only makes our favorite collar tag, but they invented the format. Unlike many engraved dog ID tags, Boomerang uses diamond engraving instead of laser engraving, which makes for a deeper and more permanent cut (lasers typically engrave to a depth of less than .0005 inches, which means that the lettering can wear down over time). Boomerang provides six lines of text for engraving, or four lines for the mini version of the CollarTag.

CollarTags are slightly curved, to fit the curvature of your dog’s neck, and have slots—similar to a belt buckle—that allow you to slide it over your dog’s collar. Picking the right collar tag for your dog’s existing collar requires a little research in advance, since there are specific tags depending on the collar width, plus tags for thick leather collars and adjustable collars. Each collar tag is available in four different sizes. Or you can just opt for a combo buy, since Boomerang offers combo packages with a tag and a compatible collar.

Price at time of publish: $12

_{Tag Material: Stainless steel | Sizes: Mini, small, medium, large}

Best Budget

Providence Engraving Pet ID Tags

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These engraved ID tags are made from flimsier aluminum instead of stainless steel, but the Providence Engraving tags make up for it with their incredible price. Plus, they’re available in eight shapes and nine different color options, for a surprising variety of possible customizations. 

Providence Engraving Pet ID Tags are easy to get engraved with your dog’s info—there’s a customization form built right into the Amazon page!—and can be engraved on both the front and back, for a total of eight lines of data. 

Price at time of publish: $4

_{Tag Material: Aluminum | Size: 1.25 inch (large), 1 inch (small) | Shapes: Bone, circle, GI tag, paw, heart, cat face, star, hydrant Colors: Blue, red, pink, black, silver, purple, orange, green, gold}

Best Non-Profit Supporting

Friends of Morris Animal Foundation Paw Jewelry Tag

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While we’ve chosen to highlight the enameled paw jewelry tag, the Friends of Morris Animal Foundation Pet Tags are available in a variety of standard designs, including metal, plastic (including glow-in-the-dark tags!), and collar tags.

The tags feel substantial, and they come in sizes ranging from dime-sized for tiny toy dogs to 1 3/16-inch diameter for larger dogs. The enameled designs with engraved ID information hold up well without chipping or fading, and the tags come with a lifetime warranty. 

As the name might suggest, sales of these tags support the efforts of the Morris Animal Foundation, a non-profit veterinary organization founded in 1948, which funds veterinary research to advance animal care, including canine cancer research. A dollar is donated to the Foundation for each tag sold.

Friends of Morris Animal Foundation also offers a unique add-on service to your ID tag purchase with their Owner Alert program. For an extra ten dollars, your tag will be engraved with a 24-hour, toll-free number. If your dog is lost and you can’t be reached at your personal number, then they can still get in touch with someone via the Owner Alert service.

Price at time of publish: $11

_{Tag Material: Enameled metal | Sizes: 1 inch, 1.1875 inch | Colors: Red, blue, purple, pink, black, green, yellow, mint, lime green, sky blue, white}

Best ID Collar

Buttonsmith Custom Dog Collar

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ID collars provide an alternative to a tag by printing your dog’s vital information directly on the collar itself. Our favorite is the Buttonsmith Custom Dog Collar.

Buttonsmith collars come in an array of colors, including solids and fun prints such as florals, leaves, dots, patriotic prints, sporty stripes, pine trees, and artsy designs like Van Gogh’s irises. You can also choose between ten fonts and 12 text colors. The print is then bonded to the polyester webbing so it won’t fray like embroidery. You can customize the wraparound text on the collar up to 30 characters, which is enough room for a name and a phone number at least.

In addition to the dizzying array of design and color options, Buttonsmith collars incorporate Duraflex buckles, which are made of super-tough acetal plastic, and aren’t subject to rust like metal buckles.

Buttonsmith Custom Dog Collars are union-made in the United States and available in six different sizes.

Price at time of publish: $20

_{Collar Materials: Polyester, acetal, metal | Sizes: Many sizes available | Font Colors: White, black, blue, brown, green, hi-viz yellow, orange, pink, red, sand, silver, yellow}

Best Smart

QALO TraQ Silicone Dog ID Tag

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Silicone dog tags are waterproof, flexible, and silent. QALO’s TraQ Silicone Dog ID Tag takes the format to the next level by incorporating Tile Bluetooth tracking. Tile is a well-established tracking device that’s typically used to hang from your car keys and other easy-to-use items—similar to an Apple AirTag. If the lost item is in range of your Bluetooth connection (or any other Bluetooth connection in the Tile network), you’ll be able to find its location on a map. This gives it a standard working range of about 200 feet from your device. It’s also nice that it uses an existing app ecosystem, rather than requiring yet another proprietary piece of software to operate. 

TraQ tags are available in eight different patterns and solid colors. Each tag is approximately 2.5 inches long and wide, making them a little too big for small dogs. There are also non-tracking versions of QALO’s silicone dog ID tags available.

Price at time of publish: $50

_{Tag Material: Silicone | Size: 2.5 x 2.6 x 0.8 inches}

Best AirTag Holder

ElevationLab TagVault Pet AirTag Dog Collar

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Apple’s AirTags are some of our favorite dog tracking devices, since you can find an AirTag’s location—using the Find My app—with either your own device or via proximity to any other iPhone or iPad on the Find My network. In cities, where you’re surrounded by iPhones all the time, an AirTag can perform even better than GPS. However, AirTags are only water resistant, and not really designed for the rigors of a dog’s life. 

Enter ElevationLab’s TagVault Pet, a waterproof and armored enclosure for attaching AirTags to any dog collar. The TagVault Pet will fit any collar up to a thickness of 0.2 inches. The TagVault uses custom “self-tapping” screws, and comes with a little tool you use to mount it on your dog’s collar. Despite the robust protection it offers, the TagVault has thoughtful design elements that still let you access AirTag features, including the ability to hear the AirTag chime. There’s also a second set of screws on the front of the TagVault which lets you change the AirTag battery without having to fully remove the mount. 

Price at time of publish: $20

_{Tag Material: Stainless steel, composite}

Best Novelty

TagsForHope Drivers License Pet ID Tag

View On Tagsforhope.com

These novelty tags mimic state drivers licenses, and can hold way more information than your typical ID tag, including a photo of your pet, date of birth, breed, gender, eye color, special traits, and all the standard information you’d expect to find on an ID tag.

Not only is there a design available for every state (some states have multiple design options), but there are also versions of the ID mimicking a wide range of identification cards from around the world. There’s also an FBI (Federal Barking Investigation) version of the tag, but you probably shouldn’t give your dog that much authority without careful consideration. 

Made from a combination of aluminum and polycarbonate, the Drivers License ID Tags are lightweight and waterproof, with three different sizes to choose between. TagsForHope also offers a lifetime warranty, and will replace your tag for any reason—all you need to pay is a shipping and fulfillment fee.

Manufacturer TagsForHope is also deeply involved in charitable work, offering grants to animal shelters and supporting non-profit rescues through nearly 500 partner programs.

Price at time of publish: $32

_{Tag Material: Aluminum, polycarbonate | Size: 1.2 x 1.6 inches (small), 1.5 x 1.9 inches (regular), 1.7 x 2.2 inches (jumbo) | Colors: Red, blue, purple, pink, black, green, yellow, mint, lime green, sky blue, white}