When your dog goes missing, information quickly becomes tangled: who last saw them, which photo to share and which shelter a relative has already called. A simple structure does not remove the worry, but can prevent duplicate work and conflicting descriptions.
This guide concerns information and coordination. Adapt local steps to your region and circumstances. PetStorya does not automatically locate your dog or guarantee a reunion.
Establish a factual starting point
Record the last confirmed place, date, approximate time if needed and who supplied the information. Separate a confirmed observation from a guess. Note a known collar, harness or tag and prepare a clear current photo.
The pet profile can provide a starting portrait, but choose the image that helps someone recognise your dog today.
Prepare one message everyone can use
Include name, recognisable description, area, disappearance date and your chosen contact method. Add an update date. Ask helpers to use that central version rather than creating conflicting announcements.
Do not publish identity papers, a precise home address or all private documents to prove ownership. Keep some references available for appropriate verification with an organisation or someone claiming to have found your dog.
Coordinate local contacts
Contact relevant local organisations, shelters and vets, and check the appropriate identification register. Ask which procedures apply locally.
Keep a list of each contact, date, response and next action. A relative can handle some calls while you prepare descriptions. Agree who does what and share the outcomes.
The Dogs Trust lost-dog guide offers further information, but UK contacts and rules do not replace your country鈥檚 services. PetStorya does not submit those reports for you.
Open a lost or stolen case
The lost or stolen mode brings a case鈥檚 information together for an eligible animal. Choose the situation matching known facts. A suspicion remains a suspicion; the application does not confirm theft.
Review the public presentation and publication permissions. Contacts are explicitly chosen; sightings and the public map depend on enabled features. A recorded last-known location is a reported reference, not a live tracker position.
Treat sightings as leads to check
Gather location, observation time, description and any available photo. Note when a message arrived separately from when the observation happened. Two messages may describe the same event.
Enabled sightings help organise information around the case. PetStorya does not automatically recognise your dog in pictures or calculate a route. Tell helpers which facts are confirmed and which remain uncertain.
What a QR can do
A QR on a suitable support can open an authorised profile when scanned. It does not bypass a private profile, transmit location or automatically summon help. Owner contacts are not published simply because a code exists.
Check the visitor information is current. Renewing a QR disables the previous code: consider this before making a tag your missing dog is wearing unusable.
Update the search when things change
If your dog is found, update announcements, close the case using available options and notify contacted organisations. Helpers can then stop circulating an outdated search.
Afterwards, calmly review the portrait, authorised contacts and physical supports. Keep a current photo somewhere accessible without relying on one family member鈥檚 phone.
Frequently asked questions
Does PetStorya search automatically?
No. It organises the case; local searches and procedures remain necessary.
Must the entire record become public?
No. Publish only the presentation and contacts you explicitly authorise.
Explore PetStorya lost mode and prepare a free profile so essential information has a known place.