A dog may be man’s best friend, but a collar is your dog’s best friend. For about $5, you can get a flat buckle collar that will last for years. Collars are more than just a canine fashion statement, they are important because of the accessories that can be attached to them. Identification tags are the most important item you can add to a collar. These inconspicuous inexpensive little pieces of metal save countless canine lives every day simply because the phone number on that tag enables someone to return your dog to you. Even if you don’t put on identification tags, write your phone number directly on the inside of the collar itself. Virtually everyone has a big black marker somewhere. Go get it and write your phone number in that collar. If people find a dog, they are likely to check the collar first. In fact, at the shelter, every collar is removed and checked for any shred of identification. The collar itself is often helpful in identifying a dog. Patterned collars are often easy to remember and identify. However, the truly sad thing is that probably only 1 in 10 stray dogs that end up at the shelter are wearing collars at all.
A leash is another device you can attach to a dog collar. Not everyone you meet may think your dog is as wonderful as you do and controlling your dog with a leash can help you prevent your dog from annoying other people in public. Controlling your dog has other benefits as well. Even well-trained dogs will chase animals. It’s very common for dogs playing off-leash to run off and disappear. The lucky ones end up at the shelter. The unlucky ones end up dead. No matter how well trained he is, you should not let your dog off-leash if there are moving vehicles nearby.
Instead of buying your dog another chew toy, get him something that can save his life: a collar.