DIY QR Code Pet Tags

After seventeen years of being a one-dog household, we decided to double our dog ownership.

We adopted a ten-year old chocolate Cocker Spaniel named Oreo whose owner was moving from a house to an apartment and couldn't take him. Given our history with rescue dogs, we know that it's typical for older dogs to be passed over for adoption since most families want younger dogs or puppies.

We didn't want to see him spend the rest of his life in a foster home (or worse) so we decided to welcome him to our family. He's a great dog and gets along well with our Lucy, a four-year old, black and white, parti-colored Cocker Spaniel.

Oreo has a microchip but we don't know who the vendor is, so we can't find the registry. That means that the old guy definitely needed new dog tags.

I started poking around the Interwebs and found a few interesting things.

You can get pet tags with QR codes!

Unlike many of the silly uses of QR codes that I see, this is a brilliant use of the technology: find a pet, scan the QR code on its tag and find out all about them including their owner's name and address, eating habits, favorite activities, medical history - the works.

One thing really bugged me, though: the only QR code pet tag solution I could find is managed by one company: PetHub. I tried creating profiles for both of our dogs but I found the service slow and buggy.

Plus, as a person who calls himself "half-geek, on my mother's side," I knew I could do better, so I did. ;)

Here's how.

Click to read more ...

Meet Lucy

Last week, I went to visit some of the dogs at Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue in Flushing, NY. If you love Cocker Spaniels as much as they do and are looking for a canine friend, please give them a call. You can see what dogs they have available on Petfinder.org.

While I was there, I was lucky to find Lucy and even luckier that she decided she wanted to come home with me. ;)

She was dropped-off today by a volunteer around 11 AM after having had been spayed on Tuesday. Between the surgery and the change of environments, she was scared. After a few hours, she calmed down and started to explore her new home.

Lucy's Story

The Rescue indicated that on January 3rd, Lucy was surrendered by her owner when he learned that his bank would foreclose on his home. She was never housebroken, but did live with and lovingly tolerate a 3-year-old boy.

The owner indicated that Lucy never had pups, but it appears to my wife and me that she's nursed. We'll never know without a full exam by a vet.

That said, we don't really care - just as long as she's healthy. (Which she is.)

Challenges Ahead

Lucy is a dog that needs to learn how to be a dog again. After a year and a half of relieving herself in the house, she's not too sure what she's supposed to do. Couple that with her submissive urination and it's going to take some time to get her housebroken.

A Sweet Girl

After only a few hours, Lucy has started to trust us. She's started playing fetch, she gives kisses, and after dinner tonight she unexpectedly jumped into my lap - she's very loving and patient with all of us. Once we overcome her housebreaking challenges, she's going to be a blessing to this family. We're glad to give this beautiful little girl a loving home.

You can see more of Lucy here.