Best QR code pet ID?

August 30, 2023 7:02 PM

There's a lot of QR code pet IDs out there. Which is best?

I'm interested in getting a QR code pet ID so I can update my contact info and other information without getting entirely new tags.

There's a lot of QR code pet IDs out there and I'm not sure which ones are good.

Reliability and sustainability is probably my main priority since the pet ID would be pretty useless if the website it links to stops working.

posted by dokodomo to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

Best answer: Personally I would create a code that directed to a page that I control. A lot of QR code creator sites act as link shorteners and inject adverts, or could/will do in the future. As you point out, a service's website could stop working at any point. Do you have a personal website on which you could create a 'My Cat' page?
posted by alby at 11:37 PM on August 30, 2023

Best answer: I am a dog person whose yard smells like dogs and I occasionally have local lost dogs come find me. I love plain written info on collars, it is the best. I would hesitate to use a QR code tag just because people do weird things, but I would scan it as a last resort if there was nothing else available.

That said, I personally have considered both a QR code tag and an NFC tag for my own dogs, in addition to the plain language information printed on their collars. If/when I do this I won't use a service, I'll just do it myself. Generate a QR code, point it at a public shared google doc with all the good info, and print it on a tag. That way I'd get to be in control of the info.
posted by phunniemee at 4:49 AM on August 31, 2023

A QR code does not need to encode a website link. It can directly encode a Vcard, which is probably what you'd want.
posted by adamrice at 6:02 AM on August 31, 2023

Best answer: FWIW, we have ByteTags for both of our dogs. THey have not gotten lost so I can't speak to how that part of it works, but the tags are silicone, the QR code image holds up well on them, and it links to a page with photos, as much contact information as we would like to provide, vet information, and specific instructions (where you can put medication info, care instructions, or anything you would want somebody to know about your dog). It also supposedly alerts you when the code is scanned so you know that someone has your pet.

I am pleased with the quality but luckily have not had to go through any experiences as the owner of a lost pet. We keep the ByteTags on their collar along with traditional, metal tags with their name and our phone number.
posted by cheese at 10:38 AM on August 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think part of the problem people are having with answering this question is that a QR code can encode pretty much literally anything. Name, address and phone number? Sure. An email address? No prob. A URL? Absolutely. The question when evaluating one of these places you can buy a QR code tag from is how they work. If all they do is encode contact information, all that's doing is adding a layer of minor obfuscation over having it printed in plain text, and most importantly, doesn't actually solve your problem, since it still encodes your contact info directly.

If they encode a URL that they create, then it's likely that it points to their website where they have some sort of system for matching up a QR code to an owner. Based on what you describe it sounds like you want this. I don't have recommendations myself, but hopefully this helps your evaluation. (Yes, there are ways to roll your own solution here, but that doesn't sound like what you want either.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:28 PM on August 31, 2023

Response by poster: Yeah encoding text or a vcard would not be that useful because I wouldn't be able to change it on the fly if I move or am out of the country or my pet's health info changes.

I will probably set up a page on my own website and link to that.
posted by dokodomo at 11:09 AM on September 1, 2023