My dog is missing, what should I do?

The first hours weigh the most

A dog that has just gone is usually still nearby. The longer you wait, the larger the area it could be in, and the smaller the chance anyone links it to your report. That is why the order above is what it is: report first, then search. Reporting takes two minutes and keeps working while you are out looking.

Keep moving while you search, but do not call out continuously. A frightened dog that hears its name shouted will crawl further away. Talking quietly, sitting down and waiting often works better than walking after it.

Everywhere you should report it

No single reporting point covers everything in the Netherlands and Belgium. So report in several places at once:

• The chip register your dog is recorded in. Not sure which one that is? Look up your chip number on the search page; we also check the other Dutch and international databases.
• ChipReaders. Your report goes on the map, goes out as a WhatsApp alert to your province and is visible to anyone trying to get a found animal home.
• Amivedi, the volunteer network that registers missing and found animals.
• Your council. It is responsible for taking in stray animals and knows which shelter it works with.
• Vets and shelters nearby, by phone, with your chip number to hand.

If your dog is registered with us, you do not have to type the details again: report the disappearance from your account and everything is already filled in.

What we see in our own figures

We keep track of how our own reports end. Of the 498 closed missing reports, 34 percent were closed because the animal turned up: 167 animals. For the rest, the person who reported never told us how it ended, so that number says something about what we know, not about how many animals come back in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Right now there are 390 open reports and 31 affiliated chip readers who scan a found animal for free. The current counts are on the statistics page, with the date they were taken.