WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOOSE YOUR DOG - STOLEN OR GONE WALK-ABOUT
First and foremost act now before it is too late
A new group
has been launched called the DTA
(Dog Theft Action). It has risen from people who have lost their dog and
doglost. Their aim is to
bring the matter of lost/stolen dogs under one banner and to make the
police the government anyone who can make a difference in the way that this
problem is treated sit up and take notice. Thousands and thousands of dogs
go missing every year... Please give your support to this group. Spread
the word and help make dog theft and the long long process of trying to find
your dog a thing of the past....
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More information on what to do if your dog goes missing
Get your dog micro chipped or tattooed and the good old fashioned collar and tag (in case they have just gone walk about). Make sure you have some recent photographs of your dog/s. Make sure your dog is safe and cannot escape from the garden. Do you live in an area where dogs are being stolen - if so, then keep them safe. Padlock all gates. If it is not necessary then do not take them out and leave them in the car. As dogs owners we all have to accept that stealing dogs is a growing 'industry'. You might think that nobody else would want your dog - but there are some fifty thousand dogs that go missing every year... so someone wants them.
As soon as you realise that your dog has gone missing then it is vital that you start the ball rolling. DO NOT sit back and wait for your dog to return. Report it straight away.
There are many organisations that you need to alert.
Contact the dog warden in your area. (national dog wardens web site)
Contact all of the rescue kennels/dog pounds in and around the surrounding areas
including RSPCA and The
Dogs Trust (NCDL). Do not
only concentrate on the local one's. Someone could have picked your dog up
and handed it into a kennels miles away.
If your dog is a pedigree then there are breed rescues for each
breed. Ring them and keep ringing them and make sure you ring ALL of the
breed contact volunteers throughout the Country. Do not assume that they
all keep in touch with each other. Remember this is YOUR dog - and nobody feels his loss more
than you. People will give you help - buy you have got
to keep reminding them and keep your dog uppermost in their minds. Contact the kennel
club for the latest breed rescue contacts
Contact all local Vets
(click here for full vet
lists nationally)
Consider your local paper, not only the lost and found section - but ask if they might do a small feature for you. Try and give them an angle that will appeal. One lady who has lost her dog has offered a 2 weeks free holiday as a reward. The papers are always looking for something different. It does not have to be on this scale - just something to tempt them....
The local Highways Department or your Local Authority's Refuse Department (in case of a road traffic accident)
If you have a strong reason to suspect that your dog has been stolen then ring the police. Get a crime number and make sure your dog is logged into their computer. As with everyone else, keep visiting the Police station in case your dog has been handed in. Dogs are not high priority with the Police. All dogs handed to the Police will be given to the Dog Warden.
There are many lost and found web sites. Get your dog and that recent photo sent out to them along with all of the details of where and when your dog went missing. Lost and found web sites are a way of getting in touch with lots of people nationwide. The search for your dog can be spread nationally within minutes. So act quickly!
Get out and about yourself, get some posters made of your dog and get these circulated. Paper boys and girls are a good bet (they get to hear what is happening in their area). Ask the postman to deliver some for you. Local shops will hopefully put your poster and details in the windows. The milkman or anyone who is out and about visiting lots of homes. Is there a large event coming up in the area where you live - ask if they will broadcast the details for you (and get your posters put up on or near it). The more noise and the more eyes you can get looking for your dog - then the better the chances of finding him or her. Make your dog too HOT to handle
Can you offer a reward? Some dogs are stolen just for the reward money.
There have been several cases recently where dogs that have been missing for months and have eventually been re-united with their owners. Never give up hope and keep searching. Publicity, publicity and a belief that you will see your dog again are the key factors.
Please remember that some dogs simply go walkabout of their own accord - not all dogs are stolen. But, whatever the reason for your dog going missing, all of the above still applies.
Legally if a dog is found and taken to a rescue kennels then the rescue kennels will hold onto that dog for 7 days. After that period of time they are legally entitled to rehome him or her. Rescue kennel space is at a premium so if your dog is home-able then this is what they will do, or they could put it to sleep if they feel it is not the case.
I have listed some of the lost and found web sites. Check telephone directories for sanctuaries, vets, dog warden, etc etc in your local area.
Most of these organisations (not all) offer their services for free. If you would like to make a donation so that they can continue their work - then there are details on each of the individual sites. There is no National coordinated database of missing and found pets.
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Contact Jayne and register your details it is free to do so. This site has lots of people up and down the Country who print of the pictures of the lost dogs and get them circulated. Well worth registering with. They have had some great success's |
| Petsearch has regional volunteers who keep a data base and can also advice you on local rescue contact numbers. There is also a national petsearch data base.This service is free. | |
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Lurchers and running dogs.
This works through a network of countrywide volunteers who receive information about lost and stolen dogs and then circulate these details to rescue centres ... |
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| We are here to help you! If you find a dog, you can check its description against the ones on these pages. If you have lost a dog or had one stolen, you can contact us and we will list it here, free of charge | |
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Message board. Has a lost and found section also has lots of members who contribute to the message board |
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Message board to post your lost and found |
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Operates a national UK missing pets register and works closely with over 10000 pet care organizations The service is free...but there is an (optional) cost to cover any posters that might be sent to Vets and Rescue Centres - this is for materials etc - and does not reflect the true cost in time and staff! |
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" Lost a pet Labrador, we can help. We have a lost and found directory for missing dogs, photo gallery, lost dog forums, helpful information and a Labs Alert list of helpers willing to assist in finding your pet dog" |
This is just a small selection of what is available. If you know of a good web based service that I could add to this list then please let me know. (email)
