“Now, $30 for just a tag can be a bit hard to swallow, but they are 100% worth it,” wrote one of our customers several years ago. “The amount I was spending on each supposedly “durable” id tag at the pet store was easily munched and mangled, so I figured why not get a GOOD tag?”.
The dilemma of whether to trust the quality of a $30 tag versus a $15 tag is a legitimate one. Do you always get what you pay for? Customer reviews can be very helpful but so can learning about what goes into the making of that product.
Silver Paw Tags are the gold standard of the hanging pet tag market for several reasons.
-they are made of the finest stainless steel alloy available
-they are very thick with heavy loops
-they have deep, black engraving
-the fronts have jewelry-like designs embedded into the steel
-they can be engraved over again if phone #s or addresses change
-they are backed by a lifetime guarantee with kind customer service
Purchasing an id tag for the life of your dog and then being able to use that tag as a remembrance of your beloved pal on a key chain, necklace, or bracelet is what Silver Paw tags are designed to do. The metal is so impervious to scratches, dings, tarnishing, or corrosion, that you will want to wear it.
Does this quality come at a price? Of course. The extreme labor involved in creating molds, casting, hand finishing, and fiber laser engraving each tag right here in the USA is extremely costly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL749nUsgQQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svX8GbHYTM Skilled labor in this country is compensated in a different way than in China and rightly so. Any product made in this country that is labor intensive and handmade by skilled artisans is going to cost more. Silver Paw believes that keeping production in the USA benefits our workforce and encourages quality.
In the pursuit of “deals”, good “old fashioned” quality has fallen by the wayside in so much or our society that we have come to expect products to fall apart. We have understandably become naturally suspicious of the word “quality”. . .
If you google stainless steel jewelry for people, you’ll find nothing much available for under $30 and that “quality” $29.95 jewelry is made in China. US manufacturers can’t compete with Chinese labor and we all want “deals”. What does that say about an extremely rugged and well finished pet id tag, several times the weight of a piece of chinese made jewelry, that has several lines of custom engraving, won’t fall apart, and is made in Maine?
Sticker shock over Silver Paw id tags can be remedied if one thinks about buying a lasting piece of not only “beautiful” but “highly functional” quality jewelry. Jewelry that can also save the life of your dog for the life of your dog! Our dogs are so devoted and have given us so much pleasure and love as beloved members of our family. Of all the crazy things pet owners purchase over the life of their dog, how can one resist the expense of a good quality pet id tag such as Silver Paw’s?
RUBY: The Silver Paw Pup/ When The Dog You Love Gets Old
I’ve had a few dogs over the years. They were loved with all my heart and soul. I’ve never had a dog who really took their time, without any major ailments like cancer, to leave this world. I’ve never cared for a loved one who seriously needed help caring for themselves for an extended time. I know now, it is painful, for them and for me.
My Ruby, the Silver Paw pup, is fourteen, has crippling arthritis in her front paws, and dysplasia on all four ends. She is a survivor, an old soul from way back. Over the last few years I’ve battled her ulcerated paws, lameness, loss of hearing, and eye sight. Each passing ailment a reminder that life does not go on forever. I love her so dearly, want to help with every step she takes, because that is what I feel she has given to me, but it is hard.
Once, such a joyful little wigglebutt character, Ruby, our champion field tester, tromped through every field, forest, ravine, and wild place, but now just sleeps in her bed, oblivious to much of life around her. Everything requires so much effort; getting in and out of the car, up and down from bed, going up and down stairs, and even waking up! I don’t want to be sad but I see the changes happening more quickly.
I miss this joyful dog and cherish the glimpses when she returns briefly before our short, slow walks and dinner times. I watch for the moments when there is real excitement in her eyes and it comes through in her body. I guess that when there is less and less of that excitement she’ll be telling us it is her time to let go. Is that how it happens and how will I possibly say goodbye to my loving, stubborn, relentless, and faithful girl, Ruby? Will it be her doing to decide?
When you love someone so much, it is so terribly hard. I know there will be more joyful dogs, but none just like this one.
Silver Paw Pet ID Tags: Made in Maine Not China!
However, buying local can sometimes mean buying smart, especially when you consider things like customer service, quality of product, and guarantees. Those of us purchasing for these values, have the added feel good bonus of knowing we supported a fellow American, perhaps even a neighbor!
It’s delightful and refreshing to be able to call a business and speak with its owner or an employee who actually makes the product. The chances of your order getting shipped quickly and customized to your specifications is usually greater if the product is produced here in this country.
I receive email offers from Chinese companies every week. They want to produce my pet id tags much more cheaply than I do. US stamping companies that I spoke to when developing my pet tags urged me to get them made in China at a fraction of the cost. A major stainless steel pet id tag competitor of ours, who has a lion’s share of the US market, manufactures their tags in China. The average factory wage in China is under $1.40 per hour at 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Consumers who recognize the benefits of buying products made here in the US are key. Smaller companies, like my pet id tag business, have something to prove, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps, carefully monitoring competition, and striving for excellence in all aspects of their product. Our products float to the top because of you, the consumer. Buying products that last, support US jobs, and respect our health and environment, are sustaining for us all.
So, the next time you are faced with the decision to buy cheaper from China or buy more expensive from the US, stop and think about the pros and cons. Who and what practices do you want to support with your dollar? What are your expectations for the durability of a product? What kind of service and warranty will there be after the sale?
Silver Paw Pet ID Tags: Made in Maine Not China!
Rotary Engraving, Stamping, or Laser Engraving Pet ID Tags: Which Is Best?
Computerized rotary engravers use a sharp cutter to actually remove metal from the surface of lines. Stamping machines exert tremendous force to press numbers and letters into metal, thereby displacing the lines into the metal. Computerized lasers can mark or engrave metal using a highly focused laser beam. Here at Silver Paw we are most concerned with what will be the most readable, durable, and the longest lasting for you and your pet.
Computerized rotary engravers carve out metal from the surface. Stainless steel tags are highly durable but a tough metal to engrave this way. Often times the engraving is not very deep because the cutter doesn’t have enough power to cut through the metal. It wreaks havok on carbide cutters. Cutters must constantly be sent to the machine shop for re-sharpening because the stainless steel wears them down so quickly. You will find softer metal tags can be easily engraved this way but the engraving wears away quickly along with the tag metal surface itself. This method is also harder to read as it requires you to move the tag around to actually see the embedded engraving.
Stamping pet id tags makes for a nice deep indentation of information on the tag but it is not always the most attractive. It is impossible to get a lot of information placed in a small space, such as a pet tag, in a crisp and readable manner because the displaced metal has to have somewhere to go. It will last, but if your dog is really active, the tag will not last. Stamping is done on thin, soft metal (brass, copper, nickel, pewter, aluminum, sterling silver). These metals are too soft to withstand the abuse a tag takes. Stamping personalized information on thick stainless steel uses expensive dies, cannot be done without an enormous amount of pressure (tons), and is therefore impractical.
Laser engraving pet id tags has become very popular and it is what we use here at Silver Paw Tags. Lasers engrave metal using a highly focused laser beam. At one time CO2 lasers were not a good option for engraving metal because they weren’t powerful enough to produce deep lines. With the advent of fiber pulsed lasers that scenario has changed. A powerful, costly, fiber laser is the only type of laser which can get deep into stainless steel. The laser actually vaporizes the metal and leaves a deep carbon blackened line which makes the marking very crisp and easy to read. Laser engraving is very sharp and clean. The extent of detail it can achieve is amazing.
Rotary Engraving, Stamping, or Laser Engraving Pet ID Tags: Which Is Best?
Moving: Renewing & Updating Engraving Info On Silver Paw Pet Tags
Moving Checklist
Going through a move and all the accompanying changes associated with it are a hassle any day of the week, month, or year! In the hecticness, one of the most overlooked tasks people often forget about is to update the information on their dog’s id tags. There are all of the other changes to checkbooks, credit cards, subscriptions, licenses, etc, etc. But forgetting to update a tag can have very unfortunate consequences.
I can’t think of a more important time to have an updated id tag on your dog than a move. A new neighborhood, house, smells, sounds, can all be distracting and disorienting to dogs. Having a current phone and address on your dog is very important in those first days and weeks of getting settled in should your dog be enticed to wonder off in new surroundings. It happens. No one wants the added panic of discovering your beloved friend is missing.
When you purchase a Maine made Silver Paw Tag for your dog, you automatically have the option to renew your engraving should your information ever change. You just mail your tag to them and they grind your old information off and replace it with the new. You also get the added benefit of a brand spanking new looking tag because the whole tag gets repolished. That’s the beauty of owning a thick solid stainless steel tag and working with a small USA based customer service focused company.
None of us can predict the future, so it’s nice to know that a pet id tag you are buying comes with the option of renewable engraving, especially after you’ve made an investment in the tag. These tags are so well made that it’s really hard to destroy the dog gone things. So if they’re going to be around for awhile, might as well have the convenient option to update your info. That will keep everyone smiling, including your dog!
Moving: Renewing & Updating Engraving Info On Silver Paw Pet Tags
Silver Paw Tags/ Sticker Shock!
The dilemma of whether to trust the quality of a $30 tag versus a $15 tag is a legitimate one. Do you always get what you pay for? Customer reviews can be very helpful but so can learning about what goes into the making of that product.
Silver Paw Tags are the gold standard of the hanging pet tag market for several reasons.
-they are made of the finest stainless steel alloy available
-they are very thick with heavy loops
-they have deep, black engraving
-the fronts have jewelry-like designs embedded into the steel
-they can be engraved over again if phone #s or addresses change
-they are backed by a lifetime guarantee with kind customer service
Purchasing an id tag for the life of your dog and then being able to use that tag as a remembrance of your beloved pal on a key chain, necklace, or bracelet is what Silver Paw tags are designed to do. The metal is so impervious to scratches, dings, tarnishing, or corrosion, that you will want to wear it.
Does this quality come at a price? Of course. The extreme labor involved in creating molds, casting, hand finishing, and fiber laser engraving each tag right here in the USA is extremely costly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL749nUsgQQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svX8GbHYTM Skilled labor in this country is compensated in a different way than in China and rightly so. Any product made in this country that is labor intensive and handmade by skilled artisans is going to cost more. Silver Paw believes that keeping production in the USA benefits our workforce and encourages quality.
In the pursuit of “deals”, good “old fashioned” quality has fallen by the wayside in so much or our society that we have come to expect products to fall apart. We have understandably become naturally suspicious of the word “quality”. . .
If you google stainless steel jewelry for people, you’ll find nothing much available for under $30 and that “quality” $29.95 jewelry is made in China. US manufacturers can’t compete with Chinese labor and we all want “deals”. What does that say about an extremely rugged and well finished pet id tag, several times the weight of a piece of chinese made jewelry, that has several lines of custom engraving, won’t fall apart, and is made in Maine?
Sticker shock over Silver Paw id tags can be remedied if one thinks about buying a lasting piece of not only “beautiful” but “highly functional” quality jewelry. Jewelry that can also save the life of your dog for the life of your dog! Our dogs are so devoted and have given us so much pleasure and love as beloved members of our family. Of all the crazy things pet owners purchase over the life of their dog, how can one resist the expense of a good quality pet id tag such as Silver Paw’s?
Brownfield Jeweler Goes To The Dogs
Proud of her made in Maine product, Twombly’s tags address a niche market need. “There really aren’t many Pet ID Tag companies making really durable, attractively designed id tags. They’re mostly just plain, boring blanks of metal, stamped out in China, too soft to hold up to the abrasion they receive.” Read more
Recovery Tips – Lost Dog Behavior
© 2007 Missing Pet Partnership. All rights reserved.
Reasons Why Dogs Leave
The three most common reasons why dogs become separated from their families are opportunistic journey, wanderlust, and blind panic.
Opportunistic journey is when a gate or door is accidentally left open. While some dogs will remain in their yards or at their homes, most simply can’t refuse the temptation to explore when presented the opportunity. Although these dogs might not actively attempt to leave, their noses just lead them on a journey that can take them blocks or even miles from home.
Wanderlustis a common problem in intact male dogs of any breed as well as certain breeds like hounds. These dogs will actively attempt to escape by climbing, digging, or wiggling to escape their yards. They will also bolt out a door or pull to get away from their handler if the opportunity presents itself. Wanderlust is responsible for the displacement of many dogs and a major contributing factor to the stray populations in our shelters.
Blind panic is a situation in which the “flight” instinct (from the hardwired “fight or flight” response to stimuli) kicks in and a dog runs in what we call a blind panic. This can happen for three reasons: xenophobic (skittish) temperament, loud noises (thunder, gunfire), or traumatic incident (involved in car accident, explosion, etc). These dogs are the most difficult to catch since they will travel far, travel fast, and avoid human contact, even with their own family members!
Read more
The Importance of Pet Tags
Is your dog or cat wearing a collar and tags?
Research shows that 80 percent of pet owners believe it’s important that dogs and cats wear personal identification tags, but only one in three pet owners say their pets always wear them. The importance of pet tags was highlighted last week with news of Willow, the calico cat who turned up in Manhattan five years after she went missing from her Colorado home. She had been embedded with a microchip as a kitten, which carried information about her owners 1,800 miles away.
While the story had a happy ending, veterinarians say it’s also a cautionary tale about the importance of pet collars and tags.
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Microchips
What it is: Each microchip contains an electromagnetic transponder and is given a unique code that is registered with a recovery program. A scanner is needed to read the codes. The microchip is injected under the skin near the neck and between the shoulders. You can read more about how they work at HowStuffWorks.com.
Price: On average, the microchip will cost between $30-$50 for the implant and an additional $20 to register your information.
Read more