The tag that lets you down is rarely the one that falls off. It is the one that has gone smooth: a soft alloy rubbed illegible by two years of scraping against a buckle, so the person who finally catches your dog turns it over and finds nothing they can read. Stainless steel is the answer to that, and engraving cut into steel stays sharp far longer than stamping pressed into plated brass.

The shape is the classic bone outline with a paw-print motif, personalised with your pet's name. A split ring is included, which is worth a word of its own: split rings are fiddly to open with fingernails, and that is precisely why a tag on one stays attached, where an open hook works itself loose over months of movement. Ten variants cover two sizes in gold, silver, rose gold, black and a colourful finish.

• Stainless steel, resists rust and scuffing
• Classic bone shape with a paw-print detail
• Engraved with your pet's name
• Two sizes: S and L
• Five finishes: gold, silver, rose gold, black and colourful
• Split ring included to attach in seconds

On what to engrave. A name on its own will not get your pet home. Put a phone number on the tag as well, and if the small size cannot carry both comfortably, take the large one. A tag is not a replacement for a microchip either, but it is the part a stranger with a phone can act on immediately.

Who it's for: Any cat or dog whose collar currently carries nothing a finder could actually read.