I have a confession to make. I am not a perfect pet parent.  There I said it.

My front door has been blown open by the wind unbeknownst to me (when I’m out) and my dogs were free to roam the neighborhood. Fortunately, my Velcro dogs have just waited inside for me to come home, but people constantly walk by my house with kids and dogs so it’s really not ideal (and that’s an understatement).

Or, most recently, someone doing work on my house left the side gate open, (I had no idea). Well my dog knew that gate was open, and when I let him out in the back yard, he ran around to the front. He barked to alert me to let him in but it took a few tries for me to realize how in the heck he got himself to the front of our house.

Ultimately, it is my responsibility to keep my dogs safe inside my home.

My point is, this stuff happens. Despite our best efforts, and fences that are secure and high enough, human error comes into play and stuff happens.

How often do I see dogs out in the street that do have a home, but managed to escape? More often than I wish to say. But, since it is a reality, the best thing we can do is make it easy for our dogs to get home quickly. Before they get hurt or harm someone else.

While I am a self confessed imperfect pet parent, I am a pretty decent one (though not even as diligent as JJ’s family in JJ Goes to Puppy Class!). My dogs are licensed, up to date on their shots, wear tags and are micro-chipped. I have learned however, that sometimes that’s not even the best we can be doing.

There are a few really cool companies with products helping lost dogs find their way home. Pet Hub, where “ Lost Pets Get Home Faster”, is one of my favorites for a number of reasons:

When you get one of their tags, your information is entered into a database. The tag has a QR code on it so that anyone with a smart phone can read the code and contact you. AND, the tags also link to a 24/7 Call Center (it’s free – and the number is printed on every tag!) so you know that people are ready around the clock to help your pet get home. But those are just the basic reasons. Here’s a great PDF showing why PetHub is the most comprehensive solution.

It is super easy and inexpensive to purchase a tag and then enter your info into their data base.

Plus, they have a variety of tag designs to choose from. The design I chose is from a company I learned about years ago called Dog is Good. The double entendre is not lost on me.

When I attended my first Strut Your Mutt in Santa Monica about 5 years ago, Dog is Good had a booth.  If you recall, Strut Your Mutt is a fundraiser for Best Friends Animal Society so I knew back then that if Dog is Good is promoting their wares at an animal rescue/awareness/adoption event, they were probably a cool company.

They were selling tee shirts and hats with cute sayings on them, like their basic “Dog is Good.” I think “Dog is Good” makes a great statement on its own. But my favorite is their Dogvernugen design. Here’s what it looks like. 

Do you remember the old Volkswagen Farfegnugen design? It meant something about having fun driving. Well, Dogvernugen means:

“The unique joy you feel in the presence of Dog.”

How cool is that???!!!

Again, the double entendre is not lost on me and as a dog parent and lover, I TOTALLY GET THAT UNIQUE JOY!

That’s the PetHub design I bought. I have a Dogvernugen hat too so my dogs and I will be styling when out and about.

While I strive to be a better pet parent (keeping all those doors and gates secured) at least I’ll have a greater peace of mind knowing that if my dogs decide to get adventuresome one day and wander off, that with their Dog is Good- Pet Hub tags, they will get home faster… in style.

Disclosure: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. All opinions are my own.