Why not just have a Microchip and not a Hitail tag?
Microchips are a great BACKUP method for identifying a lost pet. They should never be the primary method of identification. Only specialized veterinarians and shelters who have a specialized scanner can scan your pet's implanted microchip. Your neighbor or good Samaritan who finds your lost pet will have no way of scanning a microchip. Additionally, there are numerous types of microchips and microchip informational databases. Just because your local vet has a microchip scanner, doesn't mean it will be compatible with your microchip or that it will lead them to your contact information in the microchip databases.
Having a Hitail QR tag ensures anyone with a smartphone can safely return your lost pet to you. Hitail tags are simply a more efficient and safer way to identify and reunite lost pets with their owners.
Does my pet need both a Hitail QR tag and a Microchip?
Yes. We believe in being overly prepared in case your pet is lost. As such, we recommend always having multiple ways for a stranger or shelter to identify your lost pet. Having both a Hitail QR tag and a Microchip provides redundant protection and ensures if one method fails, there is a readily available backup for identifying and returning your pet.
The Humane Society of the United States recommends Microchips as a good backup option for pet identification, but they should never be the main method of identification. About the size of a grain of rice, Microchips are tiny transponders implanted into your pet's skin by a veterinarian or animal professional. They require a special scanner to read the information on the chip. A scanner that a shelter may have, but your neighbor will not. So the traditional process is that a pet is found, taken to a shelter, the shelter scans the microchip, and contacts the owner. Often time they charge a fee to recover your lost pet.
Hitail QR tags are a more efficient method of identifying a lost pet and more efficiently reuniting pets with their worried owners. When your neighbor finds your lost pet, they can simply scan the tag's QR code, share their location with you and quickly swap contact information to easily and safely return your lost pet to you.