The collar tag is the first thing anyone checks
When a pet goes missing, whoever finds it checks the collar first, before anything else. Get an engraved tag, a QR tag, or both, for a dog, a cat, or livestock. Every United Pet Club tag links straight to your pet's free registry profile, and it keeps working even if load shedding takes out the local network for a while.
Why a tag still earns its place on the collar
A microchip lasts the life of the pet, but it needs a scanner before it tells anyone anything, and not every finder has one on them. A tag solves that on the spot: anyone who picks up your dog or cat reads it straight off the collar. Use both and you cover each other's gap, and our microchip registry links a tag's code to that same profile.
A standard tag has your pet's name and phone number engraved into the metal, plain and simple. A QR tag adds a scannable code that opens your pet's profile online, so a finder gets your current number even if it's changed since the tag was made. Premium tags carry a layer of epoxy over the print, which matters here given how hard the sun works on plastic and metal alike. Still deciding? The buying guide covers engraved versus QR, materials, and what to put on the tag. Already got a tag? Register it here and link the code to your pet's free profile.
A tag built for whatever you're keeping
Dog tags
Standard and premium tags for a dog's collar, built for one job: getting a lost dog back to its owner.
Cat tags
The same tags, sized down for a cat's collar, built to get a lost cat home quickly.
Livestock tags
Tough, customisable tags for herds and flocks, useful for farm records as much as for recovering strays.
QR or code tags
A scannable code opens your pet's profile from any phone. If a finder can't scan it, the code can be looked up by hand in the registry instead.
Epoxy-protected tags
Premium tags get a layer of epoxy over the print, so the code and text hold up against fierce sun and daily wear.
How a QR tag works, start to finish
1
Personalise the tag
Pick a style, and once it arrives, link it to your pet's profile in the registry.
2
Fit it to the collar
It stays on full time, alongside any other ID your pet wears.
3
Someone scans it
A finder points any phone camera at the tag, and the link opens straight away. No app needed.
4
You get the alert
The scan opens your pet's profile with your contact details, and the registry can let you know your pet's been found.
Tags and microchips cover each other
A tag can fall off or wear out over the years. A microchip can't be read without a scanner, and a scanner isn't always close by, an SPCA branch or a vet will have one, but a passerby won't. Use both and each one covers a gap the other leaves.
Without a scanner, the tag still gets read on the spot. Without a collar, the microchip is still there under the skin.
Common questions on pet tags
What should go on my pet's ID tag?
Most owners engrave the pet's name, a phone number, and sometimes a backup number. If your pet is chipped, adding "microchipped" tells a finder to get it scanned too.
Do QR tags need an app to work?
No. Any smartphone camera scans the code and opens the link directly, nothing to install.
What's the real difference between a tag and a microchip?
A tag is visible and external, readable on sight by anyone. A microchip sits permanently under the skin and needs a scanner. Having both gives your pet two separate ways to be identified.
Are livestock tags different from pet tags?
Yes. Livestock tags are built for herd and flock identification, more about farm records and recovery than a single animal's collar.
Does the tag still work without a QR code?
Yes. An engraved tag with your phone number does the job on its own, and the code, where there is one, can be looked up by hand in the registry if scanning fails.
Link your pet's tag to a free profile
Register the tag and microchip together, so any scan leads back to you. See how to register a pet tag, or get started now.