Combine a safe search with formal reporting. Social posts can extend reach but should not replace contact with animal management centres, Police and nearby vets.
What to have ready
Before you start
AFCD advises owners of lost dogs to report to the nearest police station, animal management centre or 1823 and contact nearby welfare organisations and vets. Supply chip, name, age, breed, colour, sex, distinctive features and loss location and time. Nearby services can also help with a missing cat, but its chip registration may not be in the dog-licence database. Confirm the registering platform and contact details with the implanting vet instead of assuming every chip automatically leads to the same owner record.
What to do, step by step
- Check safe hiding places at home and the last known location, dividing tasks among helpers. Search roads, trails and private areas safely. Do not rush into traffic or enter another person's premises to pursue an animal. Keep someone available at the contact number while others search.
- Prepare one consistent information sheet with a recent photograph and distinctive marks for Police, animal management and 1823. Record when each report was made, references and organisations contacted. A shared log prevents helpers from circulating conflicting locations or assuming that another person already completed the official report.
- Inform nearby vets, welfare organisations and permitted notice locations, publishing only necessary contact information. If someone claims a recovery, request a current photograph, location and verifiable description. Do not pay an unknown claimant first; arrange a safe handover through an appropriate service where identity can be checked.
- Verify recovery using the chip, licence, medical records, photographs or other evidence rather than colour alone. Follow the receiving centre's reclaim procedure and applicable charges. Contact a vet for injuries or changes in condition, then update notices and inform all organisations that were helping with the search.
Costs, timing, and things to check
Report promptly rather than assuming a receiving organisation will wait indefinitely for a social-media owner to appear. A finder should use services able to check identification and ownership, rather than immediately rehoming the animal. Finding an animal does not itself establish the right to keep it.
For prevention, review licence or microchip contact details and use suitable leads or secure carriers. Keep a cat in a safe enclosed room during a move. Save current photographs and an alternate contact so accurate information is ready immediately rather than being reconstructed after a loss.
A practical example
After a dog goes missing in Tsuen Wan, one helper answers calls, another prepares chip and photo details, and another contacts 1823 and nearby vets. A recovery claim is verified by scanning the chip before the group announces that the search has ended.
Report early, use consistent details, verify recovery safely and update every contact.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.