# So many tags jingling! Do I need them all?



## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

Okay, here's my first (of many) dumb, basic question.

Right now Chester has 3 tags on his collar:

--His name and my phone number (metal)

--his proof of vaccination tag

--his microchip tag (has the phone # for the company and his ID#)

In addition, I imagine the city will give me another tag when I get him licensed too (which will happen as soon as I get his vaccination and neuter records put in my name at the vet).

So that's 4 tags hanging off his collar, jingling and causing a ruckus. I know there are tag 'silencers', i've seen rubber ones that wrap around the edges at the pet store and I heard about one that's like a little pocket you put them in. Do any of these things work?

And - which tags are vital to keep on him? If he were to get out and someone picked him up I would rather they called me first, rather than the microchip people, do I really need to keep that tag on him? What about the vaccination one and the city one (if there is one)? Do I need to keep these on him everytime he's outside?

Btw, when he is in the house or in the backyard (fenced) he doesn't wear his collar. I just put it on when we go for a walk or leave the house for other reasons, or when I have friends over and the door is being opened a lot or something.

P.S. If I have 6 or 7 basic questions like this (regarding crates, food, grooming, etc) is it more obnoxious to post them all in one thread, or to post a couple each day in their own threads? Still trying to get a feel for the board etiquette and pace. Thanks!


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

If you don't like the jingling a rubber band wrapped around all the tags works to stop the jingling.

Ours just wear name/phone number ID no-dangle tags. I suppose legally they are supposed to wear their rabies tag 24/7 - and if we go out I clip a rabies tag to their tag collar, but around the house I don't like dangling tags. Our yard is secure, so I'm ok with our set up.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

You could remove the i.d tag by getting a tag that slides onto the collar itself, so it doesn't jingle. Snoopy has 3 tags as well, his I.D tag, rabies tag, and microchip tag. The microchip tag is all rubber so that makes the other tags quieter. I still need to get his license so that I wonder if that will make alot of noise. The reason I haven't gotten his license is that they won't send out the papers and their hours suck which means we can't get down there unless they were open late.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

I think the microchip tag is superfluous. If he has the collar and tags still on, he's got the one with your phone number. 

Also you can get a double sided tag with lots of text. Sadie's has her name, my phone number on both sides, "I have a microchip" "reward if found - please take me to a vet" and "I require daily medication" (that last one is a lie, to discourage anyone who finds her from deciding to keep her as their pet"). 

You could put all of that on one tag.

On another note why do you need a proof of vacs tag? Is that something the vet gives you with the rabies tag? We didn't get anything like that for our cat.
And do all cities require a licence tag?


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I never heard of a proof of vaccination tag as you aren't required to vaccinate your dog, but you do have to give it a rabies vaccine which is why you are supposed to have that tag on. I believe most city's require a license tag. Though city's in the country may not require it or enforce it. I am not positive on that though, I live in a popular city and I have never seen licensing being enforced, I don't see how they can, though last year animal control was at a popular park where people walk their dogs and they were stopping every person with a dog to see if it had all tags required and if it didn't they took the dog on the spot and you had to pay a fine to get the dog back.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

My girls each wear a Boomerang tag that slides on their collars.

















I am actually wearing their city license tags around my own neck (on the lanyard with the dog whistle.) Since they can't get a license without the rabies vaccination, I decided that one is superfluous. If they have their collars on, the microchip tag is unnecessary as they already have my name, address and phone. If the collar is lost or removed, the microchip tag is gone, too.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Interesting - I just checked my city's website and it says you need a registration for dogs and cats, but provides no information on how to actually do that. I'll have to ask the vet next time we go in.


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## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

I looked at the tags again and the one I referred to as 'proof of vaccination' is the rabies tag from the vet, and it has the vet info on it. I guess I can take that one off when I get the city license tag (assuming I do) since the license requires proof of rabies vaccination anyway (thanks for pointing that out, RonE!)...

So I'll take off the microchip one as well and then I'll end up just having 2 tags. And I'll try the rubber band thing if they still jingle too much. It mostly just bothers me when we're walking in the woods in the morning and the birds are singing and it's so quiet. 

I'm fortunate that my city lets you apply for a license through the mail. I know a lot of people don't license their dogs here but it is required to use the dog parks (there are 3 run by the city). We have play dates with other dogs at my house but I'd like to be able to take him to the parks too. 

His neutering and vaccination were done right before I adopted him and I have to get the vet to change the names on the records before the city will let me get the license. 

Anyway, thanks for the tips everyone!


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

We use the boomerang tags RonE posted earlier. LOVE THEM. We also have double sided plastic tags as well for when we're travelling (one side says: My family is traveling. Cell phone/contact info. Reverse side says: If I'm loose, I'm lost. Please call my family to help me get home.)


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

In the two cities I've lived in lately, you register the dog with the city police department. You need to provide proof of current rabies vaccination and, if the dog is spayed or neutered, the registration is much cheaper. I think it was $10/dog here.

If they pick up a dog w/o a registration (and mine have been busted a couple of times) you can be fined and it can be more difficult to get the dog back.

My experience is that, as long as I can prove that they are registered when I bail them out, they don't necessarily need to have the tags on. I'd prefer they don't for a variety of reasons, including the possibility of getting them tangled in the fence.


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## kerplunk105 (Mar 5, 2008)

Used these for my dogs in the past..

http://www.itzadog.com/quietspot.cfm


I think PetsMart or Petco may carry them now..


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## Mdawn (Mar 3, 2007)

Eddie has:
-ID tag with name and phone #
-Dog license tag (required by law here to have on them)
-He would have his rabies tag if I hadn't lost it. Still have his rabies cert though as proof of vac.

Uallis has:
-ID tag with name and phone #
-Dog license tag
-Rabies tag with name and phone # of vet on it
-AKC tag that isn't necessary. It's a "call this number if I'm lost" sort of thing. I'll probably remove it when I switch out his rabies tag here in a couple weeks when he goes in to get his shots.

I usually remove Uallis's collar when he's in the house. Eddie always wears his because he's a pain about letting me put it back on him...


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## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

kerplunk105 said:


> Used these for my dogs in the past..
> 
> http://www.itzadog.com/quietspot.cfm
> 
> ...


Aha - that's the one I heard about, I had forgotten what it was called. Thanks for the link. I'll either get one of those or get the kind that slides on the collar. I just got his nametag made today though so to replace it already seems silly. Meh, choices, choices, choices, I'll work it out


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## Two Labs Mom (Apr 10, 2008)

Yep, I was going to suggest those too. I saw them at Petsmart but haven't picked any up yet. If you get some, let us know if they work!


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## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

For now I have him down to 2 tags - the name/phone # and the rabies vac. I rubber banded them together and they are quiet now. I may eventually get a Quiet Spot silencer and if I do I'll report how it works. Thanks to everyone for the advice. If/when I need to replace his tag I'll get the kind that slides on the collar and put more information on it, then if I do have a city license tag it will be the only one hanging.


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## heidiann (Feb 3, 2008)

Personally, I don't mind the jingling...We used to have bell collars on 3 cats before we got the dogs, so the jingling is nothing. 

It helps me too, to tell the difference between the two dogs if they're coming down the hall. 

*Onyx has 4 tags:*

Pink Metal Heart ID tag (which we need to replace with a boomerang tag)
City dog license (rabies) tag
Humane Society tag (which could probably come off now because all of the info is wrong) and
A new tag from this emergency service we registered them for at the expo last year. (probably not necessary, I know)

*Topaz has 3 tags:
*
Blue Bone ID tag (which needs to be replaced with a boomerang tag)
The same new Emergency tag
St. Francis "protect my pet" tag that he's worn since the seizures started

Because Topaz has seizures, he probably should have the tags that slip onto the collar. I've looked into them and we may get him one of those instead of a dangling one from boomerang when I order the new ones. He did get one of his tags stuck in the dock when we were in the lake...

I wanted to get a 2 sided one to say something like "on medication" or "I need daily meds" with the vet number on it.


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## Aggie (Mar 13, 2008)

I keep the license on him (it also is proof of Rabies Vac here) so no Rabies tag on him.

I also keep a name/my contact info on him.

So, 2 tags. I may put a piece of tape b/t them if the jingling bothers me, but this dogs been pretty minimal with that lol.


I figure if he loses the collar, it doesn't matter how many/few tags there are- same /w microchip- if he doesn't have a collar, the tag doesn't matter, so the vet/shelter hopefully discovers that.

I keep the other tags on hand in case on of his falls off/wears out and needs to be replaced (ie license /w rabies tag, or whatnot).

I also keep an envelope of his last vet visit for shots in the car in case i need to show proof when I'm out and about for some reason.

I'd like to get him tattooed at some point too.


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## PeppersPop (Apr 13, 2008)

When you register your dog, you should ask your city/town what tags an animal must wear... your city/town may require certain tags. Here you have to have proof of rabies vaccine to register the dog, but you still have to have both tags on the tag (as best as I understand).

As far as the silencers, my guess is that they work, but I think you can probably deal with it yourself much cheaper. Try putting some tape on each tag... it may not completely eliminate the sound but will dampen it quite a bit. You might want to try different types of tape... cloth tape, paper tape, scotch tape, etc.

My dog wears 2 metal tags, rabies and county registration, as well as "homemade" tag that the shelter sent us home with... it was a piece of paper with two rigid pieces of clear plastic, covered with adhesive. I printed his name on one side and reward if found and my number on the other and stuck them together. I have the plastic tag between the two metal tags so the noise isn't quite as loud.

I personally like the noise...it helps me know where the dog is...but I can definitely see how/why people find it annoying.

Good luck.





LuckyLabMom said:


> So that's 4 tags hanging off his collar, jingling and causing a ruckus. I know there are tag 'silencers', i've seen rubber ones that wrap around the edges at the pet store and I heard about one that's like a little pocket you put them in. Do any of these things work?
> 
> And - which tags are vital to keep on him? If he were to get out and someone picked him up I would rather they called me first, rather than the microchip people, do I really need to keep that tag on him? What about the vaccination one and the city one (if there is one)? Do I need to keep these on him everytime he's outside?


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

I just keep one tag.- the chip number- that gives the name, updates on shots, contact information- thats it.. Giving someone the name of the dog only gives them the " keys" to the dog..


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

borzoimom said:


> I just keep one tag.- the chip number- that gives the name, updates on shots, contact information- thats it.. Giving someone the name of the dog only gives them the " keys" to the dog..


My dog has keys?


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I can't tell if you are just joking or if your serious. But with some people if they know the name of the dog that only makes it easier for the person to keep the dog.


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## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

borzoimom said:


> I just keep one tag.- the chip number- that gives the name, updates on shots, contact information- thats it.. Giving someone the name of the dog only gives them the " keys" to the dog..


Oh man, I'm so naive I hadn't even thought of that. Jeez...


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Durbkat said:


> I can't tell if you are just joking or if your serious. But with some people if they know the name of the dog that only makes it easier for the person to keep the dog.


Hm.

Sadie's tag says that she requires daily medication to deter anyone from trying to keep her as their pet. Most people wouldn't want to keep a sick dog.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well I'm sure there are some sick people out there who would just keep the dog till it dies from not having its medicine.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Durbkat said:


> Well I'm sure there are some sick people out there who would just keep the dog till it dies from not having its medicine.


She doesn't really need medicine....

If they're that sort of person they'd keep her whether or not the tag has her name. She's not a child, she's a dog. She can't tell people "This person is calling me the wrong name, they're not my human!". 

She is going to get her microchip soon but even that wouldn't help if someone found her and just decided to keep her even if they thought she was sick - as they obviously wouldn't take her to the vet and no one would ever find the chip.

You could go through all sorts of hypothetical situations. In the end I just want to keep her with me all the time so she doesn't get lost or stolen. If she did get lost, I would hope the tags and chip would get her home. Better to try than not. I really don't think her name on the tag is going to make it easier for someone to keep her anymore than my meds tag is going to make someone want keep her.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I know she is not on medicine, I was just saying that is a possibility.


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## Puppy_love_122 (Jul 20, 2007)

My dogs just have their rabies tags, and their ID tags. We don't need to have them licensed where we live. When we go traveling or camping with them we have another tag that we put on them, it has our cell numbers on it, because if they get out while we are camping with them our phone number is useless since we aren't home.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Never put your dogs name on a tag. As I said it gives the key.. I will say this though- I had a papillion named Mischeif that got the nic name piddles.. Now tell me- if you found a little toy dog named " Piddles"- would you keep him?? ROFMBO! uhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo.. My daughter got him a tag at petsmart that said " Piddles" and the phone number.. never had to use it but it made all the family laugh..


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

Kim has a tag (Boomerang, as above) with name, both our cell numbers, and our city. I take her to the park along fairly often, and don't live in a great area, so having my address on it would be unwise.

She also has her license on her collar. Both attach directly to the band, so nothing dangles.

Webster has one of Kim's old ID tags on his collar band. We're moving in 1-2 months, so they will both need new tags then anyway, so I'm waiting til then to get them both tags. So until then, you may call him Little Kim, since to the world they have the same name.

I dislike dangly tags. A lot.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

borzoimom said:


> Never put your dogs name on a tag. As I said it gives the key.. I will say this though- I had a papillion named Mischeif that got the nic name piddles.. Now tell me- if you found a little toy dog named " Piddles"- would you keep him?? ROFMBO! uhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo.. My daughter got him a tag at petsmart that said " Piddles" and the phone number.. never had to use it but it made all the family laugh..


As I said, I don't see how the person knowing the dogs name is going to help them more if they steal it. It might make it easier to get the dog to follow commands I guess but if they're going to keep a lost dog they find they'd probably rename it anyway. What is this magical key? Like I said the dog can't tell other people that the human is using the right or wrong name, so I don't see how it would keep the thief from keeping the dog if they want to keep it.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I don't know why I even put the Boomerang tag on Esther. Nobody's been able to get close-enough to read it.

But Molly will just trot right up to anybody so I should put a second tag on her collar that says, "The large hound watching you is with me, so be nice to me."


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## 4dogs3cats (Dec 21, 2007)

RonE said:


> I don't know why I even put the Boomerang tag on Esther. Nobody's been able to get close-enough to read it.
> 
> But Molly will just trot right up to anybody so I should put a second tag on her collar that says, "The large hound watching you is with me, so be nice to me."


LOL! Remember when you spoke to that lady on the phone and said, "Is there by chance a large hound in the vicinity?" "Why yes there is!" haha that made me remember that!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I don't have my dogs' names on their tags, but only because there's no room, since I (and my dogs) spend a lot of time at my parents' house, the tags have both my address and phone number, and my parents' address and phone number. Plus our cell phone numbers. Those Boomerang tags hold a lot of info. 

I don't think that someone knowing my dogs' names is going to help them if they find my dogs. It's not like they magically will do anything if someone calls them by name. Little kids might go with someone who uses their name, but dogs don't much care about that, IMO.


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## PeppersPop (Apr 13, 2008)

That's why I put "Reward If Found"... I figure it gives people motivation to call me. 

Hmmmm.... maybe I should get a collar with gold and jewels.. the fancier the collar, the bigger the reward. 



Durbkat said:


> Well I'm sure there are some sick people out there who would just keep the dog till it dies from not having its medicine.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

PeppersPop said:


> That's why I put "Reward If Found"... I figure it gives people motivation to call me.
> 
> Hmmmm.... maybe I should get a collar with gold and jewels.. the fancier the collar, the bigger the reward.


That's also on mine.


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## LuckyLabMom (Apr 17, 2008)

I'm thinking that the name itself wouldn't make a difference, especially since Chester is so darn friendly and eager-to-please. If someone wanted to dognap him they'd have no problem anyway. So next time I replace my tag (with a boomerang) I will put "Reward If Found". That's a good idea.


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## Puppy_love_122 (Jul 20, 2007)

RonE said:


> But Molly will just trot right up to anybody so I should put a second tag on her collar that says, "The large hound watching you is with me, so be nice to me."


LMAO, Shadow should have the same thing  , cept Belle isn't a hound... maybe his could read something along the lines of " The large rott mix watching you is with me, better be nice" Hee Hee Hee, Shadow will run up to anyone, but Belle on the other hand wouldn't go up to anyone.


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## Mac'N'Roe (Feb 15, 2008)

I don't mind the jingle...I actually kind of like it. But, I don't have kids sleeping in the house. 

My two currently have two tags (name tag and a rabies tag) and i just had them microchipped. Am I supposed to put this tag on them too?


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well the vet told me I was supposed to put it on. So I did because it tells people to either go to their website or call the number on the microchip tag to report the dog found.


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## 4dogs3cats (Dec 21, 2007)

Kody currently doesn't have a tag, since it broke. But we switch collars from his reg collar to his martingale to his gentle lead so often half the time he wears no collar at all. Plus, someone would have to come into my apartment to STEAL him, and I figure they wouldn't give him back anyway lol. And if they did steal him, they would soon realize he howls at everything that has a pulse, and THEY would be looking for ME!

Chance's collar has a built in leash that uncovers an area for information. It only has my phone number and "requires daily medication" but I don't think he would be running up to any strangers anyway.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Heh. Ollie and Kobe only respond to their name when I speak it. So no concerns of uh, "keys" to my dogs.


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## Taz Monkey (Sep 2, 2007)

my dogs have their ID tag, rabies tag, microchip tag, and dog tax tag. They wear their collars all the time and the tags drive me nuts, especially when they readjust their positions in the middle of the night and all I hear are tags jingling.So I just wrapped a rubber band around all the tags and they are now silent. It's perfect!


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## heidiann (Feb 3, 2008)

On our boomerang tags we had 

If found, I'm lost. Call for Reward.

That was on one side and the other side had our information.


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## Chicster (Jan 17, 2008)

jesirose said:


> Also you can get a double sided tag with lots of text. Sadie's has her name, my phone number on both sides, "I have a microchip" "reward if found - please take me to a vet" and "I require daily medication" (that last one is a lie, to discourage anyone who finds her from deciding to keep her as their pet").


That last part is genius! I'm totally stealing that idea from you.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

I stole it from someone else so go ahead


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## Scout (Jan 15, 2008)

I just ordered a Boomerang tag - it has her name (she doesn't respond to it anyway haha) our cell numbers, "requires daily medication" and our city on it


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

What is a boomerang tag? 

I was thinking about getting new tags for Sadie and Bear, the kind that slide onto the collar. Felix our other cat has a special spiked collar and I can't imagine him without it


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I just googled it and turns out its one of those tags that slides onto the collar. Here is a picture of it,









Edit: Oh gosh, I just realized how many tags Snoopy is going to have soon. Now he has his, contact tag, rabies tag, microchip tag (its rubber so that helps with the noise), and then soon he will have his license tag and then he will have a dog park tag. The noise!! lol


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## SykoSwimmer (Apr 11, 2013)

This is a frugal way to stop the jingling and works for oddly shaped tags.
Use clear packaging tape and sandwich the tag in the middle. 
May need 2-3 layers of tape. It's clear so you can still see the tag text. http://sykoswimmer.tumblr.com/image/47713950148
Attached is a link of how it looks like.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Another thing for noise 

Step 1: dislocate your jaw
Step 2: push back and up towards ears
Step 3: put jaw back in place and ignore ringing. 
Step 4: Success 

If you hit the nerves just right, you can't hear the tags over the ringing. 

Or another alternative 
Get a large tag and engrave all vet/personal/legal info

The first one lasts a lifetime but the ringing gets annoying and there is a possibility of balance issues.

(no I didn't do it that way, mines a genetic disease but same nerves involved so same results. You'll have more temporary pain though)

Fi gets annoyed at the ringing though


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

RonE said:


> My girls each wear a Boomerang tag that slides on their collars.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


We just found these and bought one. It's a blessing to have it! Kobi isn't jingling around the house or in his crate at night anymore as the only "dangle" collar is his rabies tag (which our county mandates he wears). On the Boomerang tag, we have Kobi's name, our phone numbers and "Microchipped" with the ID # in the event the chip can't be found when scanning.


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## hueyeats (Apr 2, 2013)

Roman is microchip and he still have many jingleling tags.
I don't mind since he is a big dog... might be tad heavy if he is small sized but he probably don't feel the weight.


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