What to do if your dog goes missing?

The moment you discover that your dog is not by your side is usually very distressing, so you need to stay calm and know what to do to quickly find him. In most cases, the dog will return home safe and sound, but we have to bear in mind some tips that can help us.

How to act if your dog goes missing? 

When dogs go missing, they are often scared. Although there can be many reasons why they have gone missing, such as letting go of the leash, being scared by a firecracker or a noise or being in an area where you can let them off the leash and they go off sniffing too far away, as soon as the dog discovers that his owner is not around, he will get nervouse, and your goal will be to try and find him.

Therefore, staying calm and following certain steps ensure that the dog can be found as soon as possible. The first thing to do is look for it in the area where you lost it. If you go with more than one person, it is even better because, while one person calls him and looks for him, the other one stays at the place where the dog got lost, because he will try to look for you following your scent trail and will return to the last place where he was with you.

If he does not appear, then there is no time to waste. The first thing is to report to the local police of the town where the dog has been lost and to the Civil Guard. This way, both security forces will be alerted in case someone finds him and calls them, and they will have your data so they know where you are.

Second of all, it is recommended that you notify the ranger in the area because, sometimes, when someone finds a dog, they pick it up and take it to the ranger. These people, when a dog arrives with them, as well as reading the chip, they also spread the case on their social networks, since the first thing is always to find out if the animal has been lost and return it to their family.

Both the vets and the local police, in most cases, and also the rangers, have chip readers, which makes it easier to contact those responsible for the lost dog. Hence the importance of dogs always carrying a microchip, which, as well as being mandatory by law, is very useful if the animal goes missing.

Also let your trusted vet know. If it has still not appeared, you must notify the Spanish Pet Identification Network.

Also, there is no harm in the dog wearing an ID badge or a collar with our phone number, since this makes it easier to contact those responsible. On the other hand, you must remember that a lost dog can be scared and does not always allow itself to be caught, so any identification device is very useful.

Contact friends, rangers, organisations and support groups for animals to spread their photo on networks. Provide a photo of the dog with all the information about the animal and your contact telephone number. You will be surprised to see how people help in cases like this and, quickly, the photo of your dog will reach many people who, if they’re found, will be able to notify you.

Make posters and stick them around the area where the dog has been lost and also around the area where you live. He will often go back to the area where he was lost. Sometimes, being paralysed by the fear of being alone, they can seek refuge in the street and remain hidden until they are brave enough to leave.

Stay optimistic and never stop looking for him. There are cases of dogs that have found their family after many years.

In most cases, thanks to the support of the public and the work of the police and rangers, they are usually found quickly and everything is a bit of a scare. As soon as he is with you again, give him lots of cuddles and take him home to rest so that he feels loved and protected.