Taking your dog for a walk is one of the pleasures you share with them. Enjoying their company and watching them do the same while you go for a walk is one of the exclusive privileges enjoyed by those of us who have decided to include one of these wonderful beings in our family.
However, this entails risks that we must avoid or be prepared for. Imagine that, in a moment of distraction, your dog disappeared. You would look around but not see them anywhere. Panic and anguish would begin to take hold of you, and the nerves would probably not let you act with much common sense.
A terrible situation, isn’t it? That is why, and because we would want to find them at all costs, we are going to give you a series of guidelines to follow so you know what to do if you lose your dog.
What to do if your dog goes missing
The first thing we should do is try to find them in the area where they got lost, since on many occasions they are playing or distracted by something in the surroundings and have simply wandered off a little. It is also advisable to retrace the route home, since sometimes dogs can come back on their own. At this point it is important to stay calm and think with a cool head.
If you end the search without success, you will need to take the appropriate steps. The main thing is to file a report. To do so, we will go to the police station or the Guardia Civil post for our area. It is essential to provide the 15-digit microchip number, which we will find in our pet’s identification papers. Likewise, we must call the Spanish Companion Animal Identification Network (REIAC), a register in which all Spanish pets are recorded and with reach at European level.
Do not despair in the search; there is still a lot you can do to recover your faithful companion. You can put up posters with their photo, spread the word – something that is currently relatively easy thanks to social media, for example. Let as many people as possible know that your dog is lost and do not forget to leave a contact phone number or similar so they can notify you, in the best case.
Those who have already gone through a similar situation know the enormous worry it involves; to avoid it, you should know that there are some systems that allow you to locate your pet at all times, such as GPS collars.
If unfortunately everything fails and you do not find your dog, you should know that some pet insurance policies, such as Petplan, have a loss clause that involves financial compensation. It is the only thing we will have left if we do not manage to recover them.
It is better to avoid that situation
All in all, the most appropriate thing is to take all the necessary safety measures to prevent this catastrophe from happening. Remember that the ideal is to walk your dog on a lead. This way it is very unlikely they will get lost. If you want to let them off to exercise, release energy and play with other dogs, do it in a place prepared for that and do not take your eyes off your faithful friend for a single moment.
