What to do if you lose your pet

​Losing your pet causes a lot of anxiety and stress. It is hard to think calmly and be proactive. Here are some important points to remember to make your search easier.

• Register your pet with the Archivo de Identificacion de Animales compania in Barcelona. Any veterinarian should be able to help you with this. If you and your pet are new to Barcelona, this is one of the first jobs to be done.
• Make sure your pet is microchipped and, if you are from outside Spain, that the microchip can be read here in Barcelona.  Many of the international microchips cannot be read by the the Spanish readers. You will need a Spanish chip to make the whole identification process easier, quicker and more efficient.
• Go to the police station nearest to where you lost your animal and register an Anuncio.  The police keep a photo record of all lost dogs or cats picked up by their patrols.  To save time in making the Anuncio you need the microchip number, a photo if possible and details of how and where your animal was lost.  
• Call the Archivo de identificacion de Animales de Compania on 934189294 to report your animal missing. 
• When dogs are picked up off the street they are usually taken to either the refugio on Tibidabo (http://www.protectorabcn.es/) or the Centre d'Acollida d'Animals de Companyia de Barcelona (CAACB) on the way to Sant Cugat in the Collserolla.  These hard working organisations are not so good at answering their phones, so the best option has been to get in a car and go there in person.  Remember to take your documents with you.
• When cats are lost they also may be taken to a number of refugios, the most popular being the one on Tibidabo (http://www.protectorabcn.es/) or El Jardinet del Gats on Carrer Hospital. Cats tend not to stray so far from home, and so, it is important to contact each of your neighbours. If you have a terrace, contact the owners of all the terraces along your rooftop and leave food and water at strategic places.
• Dogs and cats generally have a good homing instinct and will always try to find their way home.
• Place colour posters in the vicinity where the animal was lost.  Generally loose animals get picked up quite quickly by kind people.
• Try to keep as calm as possible.  Panicking will not help you.
• When your pet is found (and they usually are, if they are microchipped) keep calm when you greet them. The experience will have been traumatic for them as well, and an overly emotional greeting can cause anxiety.

The experiences told to me by clients 

1. Their dog was picked up by the Guardia Urbana and taken to the CAACB on the way to Sant Cugat.
2. Their dog was picked up by a kind person and taken to the offices of Animales de Compania.
3. Their dog was recognised by a poster on the street.  
4. Their cat was found on one of the terraces along the rooftops of their block.

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