The tag on the collar is the first thing a finder reads
Whoever finds your pet will look at the collar before anything else. Choose an engraved tag, a QR code tag, or one that does both, for dogs, cats, and livestock. Each United Pet Club tag connects to the free registry profile behind your pet.
Why the humble ID tag still earns its place
A microchip is permanent but invisible: it needs a scanner before it says anything. A tag is the reverse. Anyone who finds your dog or cat can read it on the spot, no equipment involved, and a dog out in public in the UK is expected to wear a tag with its owner's details in any case. Used together, tag and chip each cover the moment the other cannot, and our microchip registry links a tag's code to the very same profile as the chip.
Standard tags carry your pet's name and your phone number in the engraving. QR or code tags add a scannable code that opens the pet's registry profile, so a finder sees your current details even if your number has changed since the tag was made. Premium tags seal the print under a layer of epoxy so the code and text resist fading. Weighing up the options? The buying guide covers engraved versus QR, materials, and what to put on the tag. Already holding a tag? Register your pet ID tag and its code joins your pet's free profile.
A tag for every animal
Dog tags
Standard and premium tags for a dog's collar, built to get a lost dog back to its owner.
Cat tags
Standard and premium tags sized for a cat's collar, built to get a wandering cat home.
Livestock tags
Hard wearing, customisable tags for herds and flocks, as useful for keeping count as for recovering strays.
QR or code tags
A scannable code opens the pet's registry profile from any phone. If scanning fails, the code can be typed into the registry by hand.
Epoxy protected tags
Premium tags seal the print under clear epoxy, so the QR code and text stand up to wear.
A QR pet tag, from order to reunion
1
Personalise the tag
Pick a style, then link it to your pet's registry profile when it arrives.
2
Fit it to the collar
Once fitted, the tag lives on the collar full time, next to any other ID your pet carries.
3
A finder scans the code
Any phone camera pointed at the tag opens the link. No app to download.
4
You hear about it
The scan opens your pet's profile with your contact details, and the registry can alert you that your pet has been found.
Tag and chip, stronger as a pair
A tag can drop off a collar or wear smooth over the years. A chip cannot be read without a scanner, and scanners are rarely to hand in the street. Paired up, each covers the other's weak spot.
A finder without a scanner still reads the tag. And a pet that slips its collar still has permanent ID beneath the skin.
ID tag questions, answered
What should go on my pet's ID tag?
Most owners engrave the pet's name, a phone number, and sometimes a second contact number. If the pet is chipped, adding the word "microchipped" prompts a finder to have it scanned as well.
Do QR pet tags need an app?
No. Any smartphone camera scans a QR code and opens the link directly, with nothing to download.
How does a tag differ from a microchip?
A tag is visible, external ID that anyone reads on sight. A chip is permanent ID under the skin that needs a scanner. Carrying both gives your pet two independent routes home.
Are livestock tags different from pet tags?
Yes. Livestock tags are made for herd and flock identification, supporting stock records and recovery rather than a single animal's collar.
Does a tag work if I never set up the QR code?
Yes. An engraved tag with your phone number does its job on its own, and a tag's code can also be looked up by hand in the registry when scanning is not possible.
Link the tag to a free profile
Register your pet's tag and microchip together so any scan leads straight back to you. See how to register a pet ID tag, or dive straight in.