Microchips only do their job once somebody has caught the dog and got them to a scanner. A readable tag works in the first five minutes, while a neighbour still has hold of the collar and is looking for a number to ring, which is why one of the cheapest things in this shop is also one of the most genuinely useful things you can buy for a dog.

This is a polished metal bone, engraved to order with your dog's name and your contact details, supplied with a spring clip so it goes onto a collar ring in seconds rather than after five minutes of fighting a split ring with a fingernail. Polished metal keeps its engraving legible for longer than printed or enamelled tags, which wear at the raised edges first. There is one version, with no sizes or colours to choose between.

• Polished metal tag in a bone shape
• Engraved with your dog's name and your contact details
• Spring clip for quick attachment
• Hard-wearing finish for everyday use
• A single option, with no variants

What to put on it, and what to leave off. A dog in a public place in the UK must wear the owner's name and address on a collar or tag, so include those along with a mobile number. Some owners deliberately leave the dog's name off so a stranger cannot call them away.

Who it's for: Every dog owner, and particularly anyone whose dog has just moved house, changed phone number or recently slipped a lead.