What happens when someone scans your pet’s QR tag?

When someone finds your pet and scans the Driyu tag, a web page opens showing the contact information you have chosen to share — name, photo, phone, email, city, state, and emergency contacts if you have enabled each one. They can call you with one tap or submit a found-pet report. You’re notified when a report is submitted.

Demystifying the scan is one of the most useful pieces of trust-building content for a pet platform. This guide walks through exactly what a finder sees, what gets notified, and what stays private.

Step 1 — The finder scans the QR code

A modern phone camera reads QR codes natively — no special app required. The finder points their camera at the small QR code on your pet’s tag, and their phone offers to open a link. Tapping the link opens the public scan page in their browser. The tag itself doesn’t connect to anything — it’s a printed pattern. Only the finder’s phone needs internet to load the page.

Step 2 — The page shows what you have chosen to share

The Driyu scan page is built around owner control. By default, it shows your pet’s name and a photo so the finder can confirm they have the right pet. Beyond that, you decide what appears publicly through your privacy settings:

• Phone number — toggleable.
• Email — toggleable.
• City — toggleable.
• State — toggleable.
• Emergency contacts — toggleable (one master switch for the whole emergency contact list).
• Medical alerts — enabled per alert, so you decide individually which alerts appear on the scan page.
• Microchip number, distinguishing marks, breed — appear when you have entered them; these are visible-if-present.

A finder who scans the tag does not see your home address or live location. They see the small set of information you have decided would help them get your pet home.

Step 3 — The finder can call or report

From the page, the finder has two easy paths. If you have published a phone number, they can tap to call you directly. If they prefer not to call (or if you don’t answer), they can submit a found-pet report through the form on the page. The form asks for a short message and (optionally) their contact information. When they submit the form, you receive a notification.

When am I notified?

The most common owner question. The current behavior:

• A bare scan of the page, on its own, does not trigger a notification. Many pages get scanned by curious onlookers, owners checking their own tag, or someone who decides not to act. We don’t want every scan to be a false alarm.
• A submitted found-pet report does trigger a notification. This is the standard path: someone took the time to fill in even a brief note, so you should know.
• A narrower secondary path: when your pet is in Lost Mode and the finder is prompted to share their location but declines, there’s a separate alert so you know engagement happened, even without a full report.

What stays private

Your home address never appears on the public scan page. Your full medical history doesn’t either — only the brief alerts you’ve enabled. Your private notes, sitter handoff information, and detailed records stay in your own account, not on the scan page. Driyu’s Privacy Policy describes how account data is handled and what is shared with whom.

How to review what your scan page shows

A quick review every few months is a healthy habit. Sign in to your Driyu account, open your pet’s profile, and look at the privacy controls. Update toggles as your situation changes — new phone number, new emergency contact, different comfort level with public city/state. The changes are live the next time someone scans the tag.

How a Driyu tag fits in

A Driyu tag is the visible, phone-ready layer of a layered identification system. It does not replace a microchip — chips are the durable system-of-record at vets and shelters. It works alongside the microchip to give a friendly finder a way to reach you fast, with the information you have chosen to share. No tool can guarantee a lost pet will be found, but a current, visible tag with a working phone number is one of the most reliable starting points. If you don’t have one yet, you can get a Driyu tag here.

A short FAQ

Does scanning the tag share my location with the finder? No. The scan opens a public profile page; it does not share your home address or live GPS location. You decide whether your general city and state appear publicly.

Does the finder need to download an app? No app required. The QR code opens a web page in the finder’s browser.

When am I notified that my pet has been seen? You’re notified when a finder submits a found-pet report. There’s also a narrower alert path when your pet is in Lost Mode and the finder declines a location prompt. A bare scan does not, on its own, trigger an owner notification.

Can a stranger keep scanning the tag to learn things about me? The page shows the same set of information you have chosen to share publicly. Multiple scans do not reveal more.

Does my pet need to be online or wear a smart device? No. The QR tag is a printed code. It doesn’t have a battery and doesn’t connect to anything.

The point of a QR pet tag isn’t to share more information — it’s to share the right information, with the right person, at the right moment. Owner control is what makes that work.