Do you know what to do if you find or lose a dog?
Being part of the nations largest animal charity, we get phone calls with all manner of inquiries. Most of them we can help with, if not practically then with advice and info. One of the most common calls we receive is when someone has lost their dog. Despite us being an RSPCA Branch, we don’t actually deal with stray dogs, they come under the remit of the local authority (councils). The dog wardens service is paid for via our council tax. They have dedicated staff who are not only out and about detaining stray dogs but have a wealth of experience too. Nottingham City Stray Dogs have a very active Facebook page which reunites dog and owners quickly.
So, what is the procedure if you have lost your dog? In the first instance, we advise that you let your dog warden know ASAP. Give them a good, detailed description. It is a legal requirement for all dogs to be micro-chipped with current, up to date contact details. The local authority will scan any dog they collect and providing the details registered are correct, will return the missing pet immediately. If your dogs chip hasn’t been checked recently, make it a priority to do so. It will save a lot of heartache and time in the unfortunate event of your pooch straying. There are also ‘Lost & Found’ sites. The RSPCA uses www.petlocated.com which is a centralised database. Animal centres, Inspectorate and branches use pets located, which covers the whole of the country, eliminating the need for each part of the RSPCA having their own register.
After reporting to the dog warden, we advise you advertise as much as possible. This should be through social media but also with posters and flyers as not everyone is online. Lots more information available here.