Lots of people sport tattoos of their favorite animals and pets, whether it's a portrait surrounded by decorative ink work or a tribal design with a totem animal that has a special meaning to the wearer, or maybe a simple tribute to a pet that has passed on, a set of paw prints to memorialize the tracks that pet has forever left on a heart.

So, what kind of meaningful tattoos are found on pets?

Not many Rottweilers or Sphynx cats are featured in the latest episode of L.A. Ink, although there's a picture out in cyber space of a Jack Russell sporting a Hello Kitty belly tat. That has to be embarrassing for a dog. Especially a Terrier, although the cat tat was, evidently, instrumental in getting the dog back after she'd been lost, or maybe Hello Kitty was responsible for getting her sent back after she'd run away in hopes of avoiding a matching My Little Pony tattoo on her tookas.

It would be difficult to get a dog to decide on a meaningful tattoo design, one that would still have the same significance at 12 years (times 7, or 84 in Dog Reckoning) as it did at age 3 (or 21 D.R., when your dog can legally rogue a sip of your beer and get a tattoo without your express permission, although he'll probably have to rifle through your wallet to find your VISA card to pay for it.

Bones, doggie doors, and dog beds are all too generic. You've seen one thigh or knuckle bone, they all look alike, and some of your dog's other favorite things just would not make for a cool tattoo. Think about the things your dog loves to sniff. Nope, some of 'em would be just too hard to explain. And some would be way too obvious.

One of the most meaningful tattoos your dog can choose is a simple registration number. Different registries use different patterns and sequences of numbers and letters, tying the information usually inked on the inside of your dog's back leg or inner ear to their database that has your contact information recorded.

Some dogs, while appreciating the sentiment and practicality of a database backed tattoo design have expressed concern that the number/letter sequences look too much like prison numbers. Pit Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Terriers, especially, tend to look askance at the institutional style tattoos, especially in the ears where they can be easily seen -- and removed right along with the ear -- since so many of them have to be constantly looking over their tails, being victims of an epidemic of breed profiling.

Another significant design is a circle, sometimes surrounding a “T”. It's a simple bit of ink art that lets humans know your dog has more to him than meets the eye -- a microchip under the skin linked to another kind of database that lets whoever scans the chip know how to reunite you with your dog in case you've wandered off and gotten lost.

Some bitches sport a special club tattoo. They belong to the Sisterhood of No Heats/ Just Meets and wear their spay scars proudly, and openly. No getting snatched up away from their homes and kenneled in tiny, filthy cages by dirty, crooked puppy mill or back yard breeders for them. Nope. the vet just runs a line of tattoo ink right down that neat belly line and these grrrls are proud to show the world that they are permanently out of the puppy making business. “Make puppies?” you ask. “WHELP, NO,” is their answer.

So remember, when you see your dog eyeballing your ink, skip the skull and crossbones and pass on the pretty princess. Go for the ID. It's the most meaningful tattoo you'll ever get.