Lost Dogs and how to find your missing pet

Written by Pet Samaritans

Which way is home?

When a much loved dog goes missing it's a devastating experience. Only a few make it back to their owners. Not knowing what has happened is the worst. Taking the right action without delay gives you the best chance of being reunited with your pet. So what should you do?

Report a missing dog quickly - to the local Council Dog Wardens if it's during working hours
The Dog Wardens pick up dogs Monday to Friday - they don't work weekends or evenings
Find your Local Council number in the 'phone book or through Directory Enquiries - ask to be put through to the Dog Wardens
They'll take all the details and get back to you if your dog is found
If the Dog Wardens have found your dog they'll take him to their designated kennels - who take in all the stray dogs in their area
In Derbyshire - it's St.Bernard's Animal Sanctuary
The stray dog will be kept at the kennels for 7 to 10 days - it varies in different areas
At the end of the time the dog will either be handed over to the kennels and then it's their legal responsibility or he or she will be destroyed
At St.Bernard's Animal Sanctuary we have a non-destruction policy. Many other kennels do not and dogs are routinely put to sleep
When the dog is handed over to the kennels he can be offered for adoption. It isn't easy to find new homes even though the dogs is loving, kind and affectionate.
If your dog is lost outside working hours then you will have to report him missing to the Council Careline. They'll give you the phone number of the designated kennels who will help.
The police no longer deal with stray dogs.
At the end of either 7 or 10 days the dogs are either legally handed over or destroyed.

If your dog goes missing - report it to the Council Dog Wardens and the Police in every nearby area. There is not a central register and dogs often go many miles away from where they live. People regularly pick a dog up, realizing it is lost and then take it home with them and hand it in where they live. It will never get on the local 'lost dog' register if this happens.

List your dog on the Pet Samaritans website - we receive thousands of visitors each day to our website and have great contacts through our partner networks. By advertising your missing pet online you can reach out nationally to the people that matter. For more details visit our Lost Pets section or List your pet here.

Send posters of your missing pet to the Police, the Dog Wardens, every sanctuary within a 100 miles and every vet within the same area. Try to get some publicity on local radio. Send a poster to local schools - children are very good at spotting lost dogs or cats.

Put posters up in Post Offices and Newsagents. Offer a big reward in the local and nearest city paper. Nothing gets a dog back as reliably as the offer of a reward.

Check with the Environmental Department of your council to see if your dog has been knocked down and collected for disposal. Very sad if this is so, but at least you'd know what had happened.

Remember that it is a legal requirement for all dogs to wear a collar with an identification tag. And that whilst the Council Dog Wardens check for microchips, the police don't usually have the time.

Visualize the safe return of your much loved pet. Picture him or her walking back up the drive or hearing the phone ring and is someone telling you that your pal has been found. It doesn't hurt to pray too - even if it's something you don't do that often. St.Bernard is the Patron Saint of Lost Causes and praying is spiritual, comforting and can only do good.

Lastly, don't forget to let everyone know the outcome - we all want a happy ending!

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