Lost Dog: What to Do in the First Hour
From searching the right streets to alerting the dog warden and flagging the microchip, these are the steps that give a missing dog the best chance of getting home.
The gate was open, the lead slipped, the fireworks started. However it happened, your dog is gone and you want to know what to do next.
Straight after your dog goes missing
- Search the area where your dog was last seen, on foot, calling and listening. Check front gardens nearby and ask homeowners.
- Take the route back home that you took on the walk. Dogs tend to stick to familiar places.
- Check the contact details on your dog's microchip record are current: your mobile number and your address. If you're not sure which database holds the record, Pet Database's free chip checker searches multiple UK databases at once and tells you which one holds it. It won't show the registered details.
- Report your dog missing through your Pet Database account.
- Phone your council's dog warden service. In England and Wales, GOV.UK has a postcode lookup that takes you to the right one. If your dog went missing near a boundary, ring the neighbouring councils too, since dogs can wander further than you'd expect.
- Ring every vet practice in your area, and the local rescue and rehoming centres. A finder may have handed your dog in, and an injured dog may have been taken to a vet. Many rescue centres also keep a lost-and-found log, so your details can sit against any match that comes in.
If friends or neighbours want to help, Pet Database's guide to organising a search for a lost pet covers how to split the area between you. Visit the spots where other dog walkers gather and ask them to keep an eye out. Take a lead with you, grab a treat or a favourite toy, and charge your phone before you head out.
What happens after you report your dog missing
If a vet, dog warden or rescue scans your dog, they can look you up on Pet Database and get in touch. The chip itself holds only a number; your name, phone and address sit on a record linked to that number, and that's what gets you the call. Your private contact details are never shown to the public.
Pet Database notifies you when a pet professional logs on to access your contact details.
Tell your microchip database your dog is missing too, so you'll be told if anyone tries to re-register the chip number. Chips aren't trackers: nobody can see where your dog is on a map.
There's more on how a current record brings dogs home in microchipping for lost pet recovery.
The council dog warden, and what happens if they pick your dog up
In England, Wales and Scotland, every local authority must appoint an officer to deal with stray dogs. The job title varies, but it's often the dog warden.
The GOV.UK postcode lookup for reporting a stray dog covers England and Wales only. In Scotland the same stray dog law applies, so you still contact your local council, though a finder there can also take a dog to the nearest police station. In Northern Ireland, stray dogs are also dealt with by your local council. A seized stray can be held for five days before the council may sell or destroy it, so report your dog missing straight away.
If it's evening or the weekend, what happens next depends on where you live, because out-of-hours arrangements differ by council. Check your own council's page for its arrangement before you assume nobody can help tonight.
If a warden picks up a dog wearing a collar with an address, or whose owner is known, the law in England, Wales and Scotland says they must serve a written notice. The notice says the dog has been seized, where it's being kept, and that it may be disposed of if not claimed within seven clear days and the amounts due are not paid. After that, the dog may be passed to a new keeper, taken in by a stray dogs establishment, or destroyed.
Get the word out: DogLost, posters and social media
DogLost is free to join. You enter your dog's details and a photo, and they create a printable poster and a dedicated page for your dog. They then email members, volunteers and co-ordinators and switch on the regional social media groups, so people near your postcode know about your dog.
Pet Database also runs a public lost and found pet locator with DogLost. Anyone can search it by postcode and filter by distance, status, species and gender, and leave comments on a listing with sightings.
Also share a well-lit photo on Facebook and other social media, and on local WhatsApp groups. If you want the post to work harder, read Pet Database's guide to posting a lost dog on Facebook before you write it.
Scammers call owners of missing pets claiming to have found them, then ask for a "processing fee" or vet costs and keep the money. A public post with your number invites these calls, so treat any demand for payment as a red flag.
If you saw your dog taken, or there's no way they got out alone, treat it as theft. Report it to the police with as much detail as you can, note the crime reference number, and include it when you list your dog on missing animal sites.
When the search runs into the next day
Some searches take days, and some take longer. Put posters in plastic sleeves for outdoor use and place them in shops, vets, pubs, notice boards and through neighbours' doors. Renew them when they weather, keep the DogLost listing active, and tell everyone, the warden, the vets, the database, the moment your dog is found.
Pet insurance policies sometimes contribute towards poster printing costs, so check yours before you pay for a print run. Have proof of ownership ready for anyone who says they've found your dog.
You shouldn't have to offer money to get people looking. A publicised reward can draw in people interested only in the payment, and lead to situations that put them or your pet in danger. If you do offer one, be careful with reward money and sharing bank details over the phone.
If you fear your dog may have been hurt on a road, ring your council and ask whether it scans dogs collected from roads. Practice varies between councils.
The waiting can be difficult. If it's wearing you down, Pet Database has a guide to coping with a lost pet.
Why your microchip record is what gets your dog home
Every step above lands on the same thing: your phone ringing after a scan. That only happens if the record it points to has your current phone and address on it, on the right database. If you moved or changed your number and never updated your chip record, it's one of the common mistakes that delay getting your dog home.
Common questions
What if someone found my dog and wants to keep them?
In England, Wales and Scotland, the law is on your side. Anyone who takes possession of a stray dog must either return it to the owner, or hand it to the council's officer and say where it was found. A finder the officer allows to keep the dog must keep it for at least one month if it stays unclaimed. Nobody becomes your dog's owner by picking them up: ownership passes only when the council passes an unclaimed dog on to a new keeper acting in good faith. Scotland has one extra rule: a finder who keeps a dog without it being claimed for two months becomes its owner. Pet Database's guide for finders, found a dog, what to do, sets out their side of the law.
Will I have to pay to get my dog back from the council?
In England, Wales and Scotland, expect a bill: a £25 statutory fee is set in law and councils add their own charges for collection, return and daily kennelling. The full breakdown is in the true cost of finding a lost pet.
Does my dog still need a collar and tag if they're chipped?
In England, Wales and Scotland, a dog must wear a collar and tag showing the owner's name and address in a public place, even if microchipped. The duty applies on a highway or in a place of public resort, not at home or in a private garden. The law asks for your name and address only; adding your phone number is your choice.
What if my dog isn't microchipped?
Report them missing anyway: the warden, DogLost, vets and posters all work without a chip. Once your dog is home, get them chipped. Dogs older than 8 weeks have had to be microchipped across England, Scotland and Wales since 6 April 2016. In Northern Ireland, every dog needs a licence, and the council won't issue one for a dog that isn't chipped. Pet Database's dog microchipping page covers how to book it.
What should I do at home if my dog isn't back by tonight?
Make sure someone stays at home, in case your dog wanders back or a finder tries to return them to you. Keep your phone charged and by you, so you can answer any call about your dog straight away.
What if it's my cat that's missing?
Cats are a different search. In England, the dog warden won't take a cat report, because councils have no statutory duty for stray cats. The first step is to check your own home and garden: cupboards, sheds, behind curtains, under duvets, even appliances.
If your dog is already gone, report them missing on Pet Database and work through the steps above. The sooner the warden, the vets and the database know, the sooner someone with a scanner has a name and a number to call.
