Most people order a dog tag with the dog's name in big letters on the front and a mobile number on the back. It looks right, it is what every engraver's preview shows you — and in the UK it does not actually meet the legal requirement.
The short answer
Put your surname, house number and postcode, and a mobile number on the tag. In the UK that is the smallest thing that both satisfies the law and actually works when a stranger is holding your dog.
What the law asks for and what gets your dog home are two slightly different lists, which is the source of most of the confusion:
| What UK law requires | What actually gets your dog home |
|---|---|
| Owner's name | A phone number someone can ring immediately |
| Owner's address | A second number, in case the first is unanswered |
| — (a phone number is not required) | Anything urgent: "needs medication", "do not chase" |
You want both columns. The good news is they fit together on one tag if you abbreviate sensibly.
What UK law requires on a dog tag
Name and address — not a phone number
The rule is article 2 of the Control of Dogs Order 1992. It requires that every dog, "while in a highway or in a place of public resort", wears a collar bearing the name and address of the owner — either inscribed on the collar itself or on a plate or badge attached to it.
Read the wording carefully, because it catches almost everybody out. The law asks for a name and an address. It says nothing about a telephone number. A tag engraved with "BELLA" and a mobile number — by far the most common thing sold in the UK — does not meet the requirement as written, no matter how useful that number is in practice.
This is not a trap so much as an artefact of the Order's age. It was written when a stranger's realistic option was to walk your dog to the address on its collar. Today they will phone you. So engrave for both worlds.
Fitting it onto a 25mm disc
A full postal address will not fit on a normal tag, and you should not try. The working compromise almost everyone lands on:
- Front: your surname, then house number and postcode. "J. SMITH · 14 · SW4 7QP" identifies the address precisely — the postcode plus house number is the address for any practical purpose.
- Back: your mobile number, and a second number if there is room.
Two details that matter more than they sound. Put the numbers in a font size you can read at arm's length in poor light, because that is the condition a finder will be reading it in — a cramped four-line engraving is worse than a clear two-line one. And if your dog needs medication or must not be fed, that belongs on the tag too, ahead of anything decorative.
Which dogs are exempt
The 1992 Order lists specific exemptions: any pack of hounds, dogs used for sporting purposes, dogs used for capturing or destroying vermin, dogs used for driving or tending cattle or sheep, dogs on official duties with the armed forces, Customs and Excise or the police, dogs used in emergency rescue work, and dogs registered with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
A pet dog on an ordinary walk is not exempt. Neither is a dog in a park, a beach or a pub garden — "a place of public resort" is broad.
Where the tag rule sits alongside microchipping
These are two separate duties and satisfying one does not satisfy the other.
| Microchip | Collar tag | |
|---|---|---|
| Required for | All dogs from 8 weeks old | Dogs in public, under the 1992 Order |
| Who can read it | A vet, warden or rescue with a scanner | Anyone who finds your dog |
| Speed | Hours to days — needs a trip somewhere | Minutes — the finder rings you |
| Keeping it current | Update the database when you move | Re-engrave, or use a smart tag |
Cats are covered now too. Under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, cats in England older than 20 weeks must be microchipped, a duty that took effect on 10 June 2024. Failing to microchip is a level 2 offence, meaning a fine of up to £500; ignoring an official notice to comply is level 4, up to £2,500.
Should you put your dog's name on the tag?
This is the question people ask second and think about least, and there is a genuine argument on both sides.
The case against: a stranger who can read your dog's name can use it. Calling a nervous dog by name makes it far easier to catch and lead away, and it makes a stolen dog easier to pass off as their own. It is not a common crime, but it is not imaginary either.
The case for: a name helps a well-meaning finder calm and hold a frightened dog until you arrive, and it makes the tag feel like it belongs to somebody rather than being generic.
Our own view: if space is tight, contact details win. The name is the first thing to drop, not the last. Many trainers and rehoming charities take the same line. But it is a judgement call, and the important thing is that you make it deliberately instead of accepting the engraver's default.
What to put on a cat's tag
Cats get less space and more argument. A cat tag realistically holds a phone number and little else, so put the number on and skip the name. Use a quick-release or breakaway collar — a cat that snags a fixed collar on a fence can strangle. And accept that many cats lose collars regularly, which is exactly why the microchip is doing the real legal work for cats and the tag is a bonus.
Outside the UK
The rest of this is deliberately brief and points you at the right authority rather than pretending one rule covers the world. The engraving advice above travels fine; the legal requirement does not.
United States
There is no federal law requiring a dog to wear an ID tag — what most owners are subject to is a county or municipal licensing rule, usually alongside a current rabies vaccination tag. Because the detail is set locally and the practical advice differs from the UK, we cover it separately in what to put on a dog ID tag: a US owner’s guide.
Australia, New Zealand and Canada
These generally work on council or municipal registration. You register the dog with your local council, receive a numbered registration tag or label, and are expected to have the dog wear it. Microchipping is separately mandatory in most Australian states and in New Zealand. Because the detail is set locally, your council's website is the authority — and again, a registration tag is a reference number, not contact details, so a personal ID tag alongside it is doing a different and equally necessary job.
Two things worth doing today
Look at the tag your dog is wearing right now. The most common failure is not the wrong information but worn-away information. Thin aluminium discs polish smooth against a collar buckle in a year or two, and a tag you cannot read does nothing at all. Check the split ring is still closed while you are there — a surprising number of tags are simply lost.
Check the details are still yours. If you have moved house or changed number since you bought the tag, it is now actively misleading — it will send a helpful stranger to a stranger's door. Re-engraving is a few pounds. If you would rather never have to do this again, a scannable tag holds details you can change from your phone, and pairing one with a plain engraved tag covers both the legal requirement and the practical one.
For the products themselves — what they cost, and which type suits which dog — see our comparison of dog ID tags. If your dog is missing right now, start with community alerts instead.