If any of you have read my "about Gina" page you will know I used to be a Dog Warden.  When I first started back in 1987 the Dog Licence was still law in the UK; packs of dogs would roam housing estates and it was common for people to kick their dogs out for the day whilst they were at work!   Public education and some enforcement soon brought the situation under control, so certainly down in the south where I live, if we see a dog out by itself strolling along the road we know it is in trouble and needs help.  I know when this happens I do what I hope others would do if it were one of my dogs in trouble and stop to pick it up and return it safely to its owner, but what if you lose your dog?  Here are some helpful tips:

Make sure your dog carries its correct ID at all times

Make sure your dog wears its collar and identification tag AT ALL TIMES.  Yes, I know block capitals are a form of shouting but I am shouting this!  As a Dog Warden most dogs reported to me as lost were lost from their own homes; I know! who would have thought? but did you know some dog owners take their dogs collar and tag off of them when at home?  When I have asked why they do this I am usually told "because I want her to be comfortable".   A correctly fitted collar and tag these days IS comfortable for your dog to wear 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week.  So please don't risk it and keep that collar and tag on your pet at all times or if you take it off to bath your dog put it straight back on as soon as your dogs coat is fully dried.

What information do I need on their tags?

Did you know there is a £5,000 fine for not having your dog correctly collared and tagged in a public place?  Cheaper to invest in a good quality tag but for some reason it has become normal to just have your surname, postcode and mobile phone number put onto your dogs tag.   This is not correct and reduces the chances of your dog being returned to you quickly and safely.   By law you must have on your dogs tag your name, full address and telephone number (which is actually optional but to me is essential).  In my puppy classes I have many discussions on why folk only put their postcode on their dogs tags; these range from "the shop told them that is all they need on the tag" to "I am frightened if anyone read my dogs tag whilst we are out walking they will know my house is empty and will burgle me".  There has never been any such case of this and frankly, why would you allow a complete stranger take hold of your dog to read its tag in the first place?

I have serious problems with just postcodes on dogs tags; if my dogs should escape from our garden I would hope someone would catch them and be able to read their tags which give my full address and return them to me quickly; so I make it easy for my dogs to be returned to me.  Lost dogs whose tags only bear your postcode make it harder for the person finding your pet to return it to you.  My postcode covers more than 14 houses in my road, I have no idea what the postcode is for the neighbouring street or indeed the houses at the top of my road.  If I found a dog with only the owners postcode on its tag I would be forced to call the Dog Warden to deal with the situation, which could mean a return fee if the Dog Warden had to impound your pet until you could be located, not to mention the stress placed upon your dog.

So if your dog is not correctly collared and tagged please make it your priority to address (pardon the pun) the problem today. 

So I repeat, you need an ID tag on your pet 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week and on the tag have your surname, FULL address and mobile phone number.

It's OK my dog is micro chipped.

By law, all dogs in the UK must be micro-chipped as from 7 weeks of age.  Recently I saw a dog running along a busy main road, I stopped the traffic, caught the dog and found it was not wearing a collar and tag so I went to the nearest Veterinary Surgery to have it's microchip scanned.  Good news, he was microchipped but bad news, the dog was still registered to its breeder who had sold the dog as a puppy 7 years ago and did not know who the owner was now.   So the lesson here is always transfer your puppy's microchip details into your name as soon as you bring puppy home and always keep those details up to date, especially if you move home or change your mobile phone number.  The dog I found was returned to his owner by the end of the day but if the dog had been wearing a collar and tag I could have returned him to his owner straight away.

Help! I have lost my dog from home, what should I do?

If there are no obvious signs of the dog leaving your home such as open gates then check all rooms in the house thoroughly and then the garden including sheds, garages and any other outdoor buildings.   Then check outside in the road/street; sounds like a long list but this will only take a few minutes.

I lost my dog on a walk, what should I do?

Again as an ex-Dog Warden I can tell you that dogs usually return to where they last saw their owners or return to their owners vehicles, so make a note where you last saw your dog and then slowly retrace your steps back to your vehicle calling your dog as you go.  Still no sign? then call friends and family for help with the search and return to where you last saw your dog and wait. 

Is there anyone I can contact?

There is a list and it is always a good idea to have these phone numbers ready for such emergencies.  You will need to report your dog to the Dog Warden (if your council still has one!, not many do these days) so you may have to just contact your Council's switch board and ask to be put through to whichever Department that deals with lost and found dogs; if no-one has reported your dog as being found leave a report and next call your local veterinary surgeries; not just your dogs vet but any that are local to where you have lost your dog. 

If you lose your dog at night, weekends or bank holidays and these first points of contact are closed then definitely call local rescue centres if you have any nearby and any search and rescue associations who may be able to help.

Use Social Media and lost dog posters

I am often seeing lost and found dog appeals on social media platforms such as Face Book.  If you don't or can't use such platforms ask a friend who does to put out an appeal on your behalf.   Information should include location where you last saw your dog, date you last saw your dog, a good photograph of your dog, your dogs name, breed, age, if on any medication or traits such as very nervous, and your contact telephone number - but be prepared for prank calls - there are sadly some very nasty people out there that will think it will be funny to ring you for a laugh :-(    But there will also be hundreds of concerned dog parents who will join you on your search and will help to bring your beloved dog home.

You may also want to make up some lost dog posters to put up in your area including vets, shops, bus stops and local dog walking areas.   I once found a stray rabbit in our area and within 30 minutes of littering the streets with found posters on lamp posts the owner came forward, so worth a try.

So to recap:

*Make sure your fences and gates are always in good repair to prevent pets straying from your garden

*Keep your dogs collared and tagged 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week.

*Make sure your pets micro chip details are kept up to date, especially if you move home or change telephone numbers

*Go to the Index page on this site and read "Looking for Nellie", "Microchipping - all you need to know" and other related posts

Keep safe and well everyone; the longer, lighter evenings are starting and soon it will officially be Spring :-) Enjoy.