What to do if your dog gets lost: the first hours

When a dog gets lost, the first hours matter most. They’re usually close by, scared and looking for somewhere to hide. Here’s what to do, in order.

1. Search nearby, calmly

• Go back over the place where they got lost and the route home. Many dogs try to return the way they came.
• Call them in a calm voice and bring their food or a squeaky toy. If you run or shout, a frightened dog may go further.
• Leave something that smells of you and their blanket by your front door: sometimes they come back on their own.

2. Check their microchip details are up to date

A microchip only helps if the registry details are right. Make sure your phone number and address are current in your regional registry. In Spain, the REIAC network lets anyone check which registry a microchip belongs to. If someone finds your dog and takes them to a vet, that’s how they’ll reach you.

3. Tell the people who might see them

• Vet clinics and emergency vets nearby: that’s where found dogs usually end up.
• Shelters and council pounds nearby. Call every day; leaving a message once isn’t enough.
• Local police, who collect lost animals in many towns.
• Local neighbourhood and lost-pet groups on social media.

4. Make a poster people get at a glance

A good poster has little text and reads from a distance:

• LOST in big letters and a sharp, full-body photo.
• Name, breed or look, colour, and where and when they went missing.
• One phone number, nice and big.
• If they have a condition or take medication, say so: it makes people call sooner.

Put it up in vet clinics, pet shops, parks and crossings nearby, and share it online.

5. Have their card ready before it happens

What wastes the most time is hunting for the chip number, a good photo or the vet’s number just when you can’t think. A card with all of that, which works offline and can be shared, saves you those minutes.

If your dog needs daily medication, tell your vet too: they’ll know what to do if someone brings them in.