What should I do if my dog goes missing?

What to do if your dog goes missing

Report your dog as missing to your local authority dog warden

You should do this as soon as possible. They’ll have records of stray dogs found in their area. It’s also a legal requirement to report that you have found a dog.

Inform the microchip company

All dogs should be fitted with a microchip and registered on a database by the time they’re eight weeks old. If your dog is microchipped, inform the microchip company, which is usually Petlog. Make sure you update any information that may have changed, and tell them your dog is missing. You’ll need to have your dog’s microchip number to hand before ringing.

Report your dog as missing

Report your dog as missing to all rescue centres in the local area, and more widely –depending on how long they’ve been missing. Keep in regular contact with them. If you’re local to Woodgreen’s centre in Godmanchester, you can also call our team or send us a message to check if we have your dog.

Register your dog on Dog Lost

Dog Lost is a free, volunteer-based online service which has helped reunite many dogs with their owners.

Register your dog on Animal Search UK

Animal Search UK is the UK’s largest missing pet organisation.

Contact your local vets

Report your dog lost to all vet surgeries in the area and keep in regular contact with them.

Put up posters

Put up posters with your contact details and reach out to people locally. This could involve going door to door and finding out if there have been any sightings of your dog. You could also use local social media pages to share photos and ask if anyone has seen your dog.

Check missing dog websites

Keep looking on missing dog websites like the ones mentioned above to check if your dog has been seen or found.

How to prevent your dog from going missing, and other ways to help you find them

• Don’t let your dog off the lead until you’ve built up reliable recall (coming back to you when called). This skill is also important so you can feel confident that you’ll have control of them in public places.
• Check that your garden is fully secure – dogs can be clever escape artists!
• Get your dog neutered. Female dogs act different when in season, and are more likely to stray. Males can stray when they want to reach females in season.
• Keep your dog’s microchip details up to date. If you move house, remember to update their records. This is a legal requirement to have your dog mircochipped.
• Make sure your dog wears identification in public places – this is a legal requirement. The collar or the tag/badge attached must have the name and address of the owner on it. We strongly recommend you include a contact number, too, so that anyone who finds your dog can easily notify you.

What to do if you think your dog has been stolen

These steps are similar to what you’d do when your dog goes missing, but the main difference is that the incident is recorded as a crime/theft.

• Call the police and report a theft rather than a missing animal, and make sure you get a crime reference number.
• Report your lost dog to your microchip company. That way, if someone tries to change your dog’s chip details, it should flag on their system.
• Also report the theft to the dog warden in your local authority and all neighbouring authorities, so that they can let you know if your dog is found.
• Report your dog as missing to all rescue centres in the local area, and in the wider area – depending on how long they’ve been missing. Keep in regular contact with them. If you’re local to Woodgreen’s centre in Godmanchester, you can call our teamor send us a message to check if we have your dog.
• Submit your dog’s details to missing animal websites such as Dog Lost and Animal Search UK, and share this information with local animal charities and vets, too.
• You can also put up posters and share posts on social media to spread the word that your dog has been stolen/lost. All these things will increase the likelihood that your dog will be found.

Looking for more dog advice? Watch our dog training videos or visit our dog advice articles for more.