What information should your pet’s tag and profile include?

A pet’s physical tag should include the pet’s name and a current phone number — that’s the core. A digital profile can add a photo, distinguishing marks, emergency contacts, microchip information, and brief medical alerts. Skip your home address and daily routine. Choose a platform that lets you update freely, and review it once a year.

Most pet owners eventually face a small moment of decision: standing in a pet store with a blank ID tag in hand, or staring at the empty fields of a pet profile, wondering exactly what to write. The instinct is usually to include as much as possible — every phone number, the home address, vet info, medical notes. But more isn’t always better. The right information helps a finder reach you fast; the wrong information can compromise your privacy without making recovery any faster.

The physical tag: less is more

A traditional engraved tag has limited space, which is helpful — it forces you to think about priorities. Most pet welfare organizations, including ASPCA and the Humane Society, recommend a small set of essentials:

• Your pet’s name. Most experts agree on including the name; it helps a friendly finder approach a frightened pet calmly.
• A current phone number. Ideally a mobile number you carry with you. A landline tied to your home is less useful when you’re out searching.
• A second phone number, if there’s room. A partner, family member, or close friend’s number — someone who can answer when you can’t.
• A simple medical flag, if your pet has one. “Diabetic,” “Needs medication,” or “Deaf” can be valuable to a finder. Skip detailed medical information — that goes in a digital profile if anywhere.

That’s the core. A clean tag with two phone numbers and the pet’s name covers most lost-pet scenarios.

What not to put on a physical tag

• Your home address. This is the most common over-sharing mistake. A pet’s tag is visible to everyone who interacts with the pet — and your address gives any stranger the ability to identify where you live. Most lost-pet recoveries do not require the finder to know your home address.
• Your daily schedule. Some owners are tempted to engrave “Walked daily 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.” That’s information you don’t want broadcast to the world.
• Your pet’s microchip number on the visible tag. This isn’t dangerous, but it’s not actionable for most finders. The microchip number belongs in your digital profile or with your vet records, not engraved publicly.

The digital profile: more space, more responsibility

A digital pet profile — connected to a smart tag or hosted by a pet platform — solves the space limitation of a physical tag. You can include more, update it any time, and choose what becomes visible to a finder. With that flexibility comes a small responsibility: deciding what actually helps versus what just feels comprehensive.

A useful digital profile typically includes:

• The pet’s name, age, breed, and a clear photo. A current photo is one of the most useful pieces of information a finder can have, especially if the pet’s collar comes off.
• Distinguishing marks or descriptions. A scar, a particular eye color, a spot pattern — useful both for verifying that a found pet is yours and for finders trying to confirm a description.
• The owner’s preferred contact method. A phone number, an email, or a way to message through the platform.
• At least one emergency contact. Someone who can answer if you can’t. This is one of the most underused fields on most pet profiles.
• A microchip number. Helpful when a finder takes the pet to a vet or shelter for verification.
• Brief medical alerts (if applicable). “Takes daily insulin,” “Allergic to certain medications,” “Senior pet — please handle gently.” Keep these short and factual. The goal is to help a vet treat your pet safely if you can’t be reached, not to share a full medical history with the public.

What a digital profile should NOT include

The same privacy logic that applies to a physical tag applies — with more nuance — to a digital profile.

• Your home address. A general area (city, neighborhood, or zip code) is usually enough for a finder. The full street address belongs only on records shared with your vet or with verified emergency contacts.
• Real-time location. Unless your platform specifically supports owner-shared real-time location during an active lost-pet event, default to general location only.
• Detailed medical history. A finder doesn’t need to know every vaccination date or every diagnosis. A vet treating your pet can call you, your emergency contact, or your usual veterinary clinic for the full record. Keep public profile medical info to “needs to know in the moment” only.
• Family member names without permission. If you list someone as an emergency contact, ask them first.
• Children’s names or schools. This sometimes shows up in pet profile bios. There’s no reason to include it.

Owner control matters

The most important feature of any digital pet profile isn’t what you can include — it’s what you can change.

Pets get older. Phone numbers change. Households change. The profile that helped you when you first activated the tag may not be the profile you need three years later. Choose a platform that lets you update freely, and review your profile at least once a year. If your platform offers privacy controls — toggles for which fields appear publicly when the tag is scanned — use them. Most pet owners benefit from showing a phone number and a general location, and keeping more sensitive details private until the moment they’re needed.

How a Driyu profile is set up

A Driyu profile is built with this layered approach in mind. When someone scans your pet’s Driyu tag, the page that opens shows the pet’s name and photo, the contact details you’ve chosen to display, distinguishing marks, microchip information if you’ve added it, and any medical alerts you’ve enabled for the scan page.

You stay in control of what appears. On a Driyu profile, you can toggle whether your phone number, email, city, state, and emergency contacts appear publicly when the tag is scanned. Medical alerts can be enabled per-alert. Some owners share just a phone number; others include emergency contacts and medical flags. You can update the profile at any time, and the change is live the next time someone scans the tag.

Driyu does not verify medical records or vouch for accuracy — the profile is the information you choose to share. The platform is designed to help organize and surface that information cleanly when someone needs to reach you.

A short FAQ

Should I include my home address? Almost never. A general location is enough for a finder. Save the full address for your vet records and your emergency contacts.

What if my pet has multiple medical conditions? List the most critical 1-2 in the public profile (the ones a vet would need to know if you couldn’t be reached). Keep the full record with your vet and in your own records.

Should I include a photo? Yes. A current, clear photo is one of the most useful pieces of information on any pet profile.

What if I move? Update the profile. A digital profile’s biggest advantage over an engraved tag is that you don’t have to replace anything — just edit and save.

Is it safe to put my phone number on a public pet tag? Most pet owners share at least a phone number, because it’s how a finder reaches you. Use the number you actually carry — a mobile number you’ll answer. Some platforms let you use a forwarded or proxy number if you’re concerned about exposure.

A pet’s tag and profile are working in your favor for one specific moment: when someone needs to get your pet home. Keep the information focused on that moment. Include what helps the finder act; leave out what doesn’t.

A clean tag with a current phone number, a digital profile with the right details and a clear photo, and a habit of reviewing it once a year — that’s almost everything most pet owners need.