Lost dog

1. Contact the Police. Stray dogs are sometimes handed it at police stations. Dogs can cover a lot of ground so try all your local police stations.

2. Contact your local Dog Warden. The dog warden will normally collect straying dogs from your local area. You can get details of your local do warden by contacting your local council’s environmental department. Also if they do find a dog matching the description of your own they will be able to get in contact with you easily.

3. Contact local pounds. Stray dogs are taken to the pounds. Try all pounds in your local area. Just because your dog isn’t in the closest pound, it could be in another. Always try and get in contact even if the dog warden and police are not aware of dogs that match the description.

4. Contact all the vets in your area. Details of local vets can be found at www.vetlist.co.uk or in a local telephone directory

5. Post on as many internet sites as you can, such as here. We also recommend Dog Lost (www.doglost.co.uk).

6. Alert people locally but putting up eye catching posters with contact details and photographs as well as a description, specifically including distinctive features. Local press may also be able to help and so they are worth contacting, including the local radio station. Places that you could put these up are shops, especially pet shops, vets, rescue centres, libraries, local notice boards and more.

7. Get in touch with all your local rescues. After 7 days in a pound it could be that your dogs has been taken in by a local rescue organisation or that someone has found your dog straying and handed them in to the centre. You can find local centres by looking under Animal Welfare in a local telephone directory.

8. Contact the local Highways or your Local Authority's Refuse Department. In case of a road traffic accident involving your dog it is best to contact them.

9. Visit your Local Authority's and neighbouring Local Authority’s web sites as many who still employ their own dog wardens now list found dogs along with their photographs.

10. Ask people locally if they have seen your dog or if they could keep an eye out; people you might meet out on your walks, local shop owners, neighbours, bin men.

11. Contact Network Rail who will notify you or tell you if sadly your dog is picked up after a being hit by a train. Network Rail: 08457 114141 (24 hour service).

12. Contact the Lost Dogs and Cats Line and Dog Lost. If your dog went missing within the M25, contact Battersea Dogs and Cats Home’s Lost Dogs and Cats Line on 0901 477 8477 (Calls charged at 60p per minute). Dog Lost helps to re unite dogs with owners, you can contact them on 01909 733366.

When out looking for your dog make sure that you always have; a spare collar and lead, high pitch whistle, treats and a torch with plenty of batteries. Some people also find that taking any other dog/s that they might have out with them helps. When using the torch flash it in bushes and the like as the dog’s eyes will reflect.

Just in case your dog comes home, leave food and water out in the garden for it.