A microchip only works once somebody has taken your pet to a vet or a warden with a scanner. A tag works immediately, on the doorstep of whoever picks them up, which is why the two belong together rather than one replacing the other. This one is engraved with your pet's name on the front and your phone number on the reverse, so the person holding your dog can read it and ring you straight away.

It is a small polished tag with a spring clasp already fitted, so it clips directly onto a collar ring, with no split ring to force open against a thumbnail and nothing to thread. The finishes are silver, gold and a golden fish shape, so a cat can wear something rather less obviously dog-like if you prefer. Engraving across both faces keeps the name and the number apart and legible rather than crowded onto one side.

• Engraved with your pet's name and your phone number
• Name on one side, number on the reverse
• Spring clasp clips straight onto the collar
• Choice of silver, gold or a golden fish shape
• Polished metal finish
• Suits both cats and dogs

On the law, and on the clasp. In the UK a dog in a public place must wear a tag showing the owner's name and address, so a name and phone number alone does not meet that requirement on its own, which is worth knowing before you rely on it. A spring clasp is also easier to work open than a closed ring, so check the tag is still there every few weeks.

Who it's for: Owners who want contact details readable by anyone who finds their pet, alongside the microchip rather than instead of it.