Lost and Found Info

What to do if your beloved pet is missing?

If you have lost your pet, you should first post their details on the ISPCA website here – I want to report my lost pet.

You will be asked for information like is your pet microchipped, is your pet male or female, neutered/spayed, what age, breed, any specific identifiable markings and if you have a recent photo of your pet, as well as your contact details. (note if you share your phone number or email on the post, it is on our website and can be shared so contact [email protected] if you have a concern).

The ISPCA Lost and Found section on our website receives a huge level of traffic every day, so it greatly increases your chances of finding your beloved pet. Once you have submitted a lost pet form, you should have a look through the ‘Found’ section on our website here to see if anybody has reported finding your pet.

If you have lost a dog, you should contact your local Dog Wardens in the area and provide the same information as well as your contact details. You should contact your local vets, local SPCAs or animal rescue centres to see if they have found your pet and keep in touch with them.

You should post a photo and description of your pet on your own Facebook page and other social media outlets and ask your friends and family to share it to see if anybody has found your pet. In addition, you can put up posters around the area where your dog or cat went missing, as well as in your local vet, shops, and Gardai station too. When creating the posters, ensure that all of the information and photos are up to date, and describe any distinguishing features. We would encourage you not add your full address on the poster, but rather leave a mobile number. We would also encourage you not to mention a reward on your posters, as if your pet is found by a member of the public, they should be happy to return your pet to you regardless. A reward may result in unwanted attention, and you can provide a small token of gratitude if your pet is returned to you without mentioning it in the poster.

When you find your pet, please remember to remove all posters and contact the people you talked to when your pet was lost to let them know you they have been found. If you have posted on the ISPCA website, please email the link to [email protected] so they can remove the posting. It is important to send the link, as it can be difficult to determine which article pertains to your pet otherwise.

You should ensure that all of your pets are microchipped and that the microchip details are up to date, as this greatly increases the chances of your pet being returned to you in the event they go missing. All vets, Dog Wardens, SPCAs, and other animal rescue groups will scan for a microchip if an animal is brought in to them, so if your details are up to date you may be swiftly reunited with your pet. You should also have an ID tag with up-to-date contact details attached to your pets’ collar in the event they are found by a member of the public.

What to do if you find a pet?

If you find a pet that you think is lost, you can first submit the pets information to the ISPCA report a found pet section on our website here.

You will be asked for information like is the cat or dog male or female, what breed, approximate age, any specific identifiable description and a photo of the animal you have found, as well as the location of where you found them. Once you have completed this, have a look through the lost section here of the website as the pet you found may have been reported lost.

Can you bring the lost animal to a local vet, ISPCA, local animal rescue centre, or to the Dog Warden so that they can be scanned for a microchip. If you are unable to keep the animal in your home until you find the owner, see if your local rescue centre is able to take them, otherwise you must bring them to the local dog pound where they will be kept for a minimum of 5 days and will make every effort to reunite the dog with it’s owner.

All found dogs must legally be reported to the local dog warden, so please ensure you do this as soon as possible. If you are planning to keep the animal in your home until you find the owner, you can post a photo and description on your own facebook and other social media outlets and ask your friends and family to share it. You can also make posters and put them up in your local vet, shops and Gardai station too, and in the area where you found the pet. It is best to not give a full description of the pet, so that you can verify that the true owner has contacted you by asking them to describe a distinguishing feature not mentioned in the poster.

You can also ask people in the area where you found the dog if they recognise it and know who the animal belongs to.If you find the owner, remember to contact the people who you spoke to when you found the animal to let them know it has been reunited with its’ owner. If you found a dog, no owner is found and you wish to keep them, you must license the dog after 28 days in your care, and also ensure that it is microchipped, which is a legal requirement. It is really important to keep the microchip details up-to-date so should your pet escape or get lost, that you can be easily reunited.