BDH - Important Information

lost dog

If you have lost your dog or cat within Greater London, help is at hand...

Step 1 for dogs is to call the lost dogs line on:
0901 477 8477
(Calls are charged at 60p per minute)
You will need to give the following details:
The dog: breed. colour age, size and temperament
Identification on the dog: collar, tag, microchip.
Where the dog was lost
Your details: name, address, telephone number.

THESE DETAILS ARE ENTERED INTO A CENTRAL COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH SEARCHES FOR A POSSIBLE MATCH WITH A DOG BROUGHT IN OR REPORTED LOST OR FOUND.

EACH TIME A DOG IS TAKEN INTO OR REPORTED TO A METROPOLITAN POLICE STATION, THE POLICE FAX THE DETAILS STRAIGHT TO THE LOST DOGS LINE, AND THE DETAILS ARE LOGGED ONTO THE COMPUTER.

If the dog is not claimed from the Police Station, it will be brought into Battersea Dogs home and held for 7 days waiting for the owner to claim it.

Step 2 for dogs:

If we have details of your dog on the system, we'll give you the location and you can go and collect him.
If there are no details on the system when you call we'll cross check against reports that come in of dogs which have been found and against the dogs which come into the Home. If we find a match we'll let you know straight away.
If we are unable to find your missing pet immediately, we will advise you as to what action to take and give you as many telephone numbers as possible in your local area.

Step 3 for dogs:

Keep looking and keep in touch - we'll do our very best to find your pet, but we need you to help!

We will automatically check the records for your dog for 21 days. After that time, you should make sure you telephone the Lost Dogs Line and come to the Home every 7 days to see if your dog has been reported or handed in.

Our opening times are: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 4.15pm (except Thursday 2-4pm), and 10.30am to 3.15pm weekends and Bank Holidays.

Works for Cats too!

You can also report lost or found cats to us, and the system works the same way. However, we have found that the most effective way to find a lost cat is to put posters up around the local area - only a fraction of the pets lost in London which are reported or brought in to us are cats.

If your dog or cat ends up here at Battersea Dogs Home,
We will keep it for seven days to give you a chance to come and claim it. After that time, the process to rehome it will start, so make sure you come and claim it quickly!

You can claim your dog or cat during the Home's opening hours, (10.30am to 4.15pm, Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 3.15pm on weekends and Bank Holidays) or between 2 and 4pm on a Thursday, when the Home is closed.

You will need to bring personal identification with you, and a picture of the dog or cat is really useful. We make a small charge for the time the dog or cat has been with us for - £7.25 for each day the dog has been here, plus £5 for the vaccinations it has had, and for cats £3 a day plus £2 for vaccinations.

What to do if you have found a dog or cat...

You might not know what to do if you have found a stray dog or cat, but we can help! If you've found a dog or cat within Greater London (the Metropolitan Police area) help is at hand.

First, phone the Lost Dogs department on the Lost Dogs Line or on 020 7627 9245.
The Lost Dogs Line will ask you for a description of the animal, and where and when you found it. They'll also need to know where the animal is going next.

If you do not want to keep the dog or cat in your home: bring it to us, we accept strays 24 hours a day, or call your local Council Animal Warden (normal working hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) who may be able to collect the animal from you, or take it to your local police station.

If you would like to keep the dog or cat in your home: 'phone the Lost Dogs department. We will take a report and search our database for the animal's owner. If we do not find an owner immediately we will keep your report on the database for 28 days and continue searching.

You must also report details of dogs to the police station local to where the dog was found (this is a legal requirement).

You could also take the dog to the local vet or animal hospital to be checked over and scanned for a microchip (remember to check if there will be any charge before the vet carries out the examination) and report the dog found to the local Council Animal Warden, Vets and any other organisations (i.e. RSPCA, Blue Cross) in the area.

TO SAVE YOURSELF ALL THE STRESS AND ANXIETY OF LOSING YOUR PET, TRY NOT TO LET IT GO MISSING IN THE FIRST PLACE! HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PREVENT YOUR DOG OR CAT GETTING LOST

Ensure your dog or cat is neutered. Most of the dogs we receive at Battersea as strays are unneutered males. You can either go to the vet, or some charitable organisations have schemes to help people on low incomes and/or benefits.

Keep dogs on a lead unless you are in an area where it's safe to let them off the lead. No matter how good you think your dog is, if a loud noise or sudden movement frightens him, he may run away.

If your pet is new take great care when letting them out. Do not let your dog off the lead until you are sure you have 100% recall. Don't let cats outside for 4 weeks.

Make sure your house is secure: if doors are often left open, or your dog often escapes when the front door is opened, fit baby-gates.

Make sure your garden is secure - fences are tall enough and strong enough to be dog proof, and he can't tunnel underneath them, and gates are kept shut.

Do not let your dog out to walk himself. A dog on the street without an owner is officially a stray. Make sure your dog is exercised regularly.

When out with a group of people and your dog, nominate one person to be responsible for the dog - it can only take a minute for a dog to vanish.

If your dog or cat does go missing, you are more likely to get them back if they are properly identified. Here's how:

Microchipping: ensure your dog or cat is ID chipped. This is very simple and painless, can be input by your local vet for and should cost between £10 and £30. The number of the chip is held in a central database with your name and address, so if the animal is found and scanned, you can be contacted. It's a very efficient and permanent form of ID, and most animal organisations, wardens and vets hold scanners to check for microchips.

Tags: all dogs and cats should wear a collar with an identification tag at all times (in addition to being microchipped). ID tags attached to a collar cost very little, are easily replaceable if lost or details are changed, and the details are immediately available to anyone who finds the lost pet. Elasticated cat collars mean the cat is identified, but won't strangle herself if she gets stuck on something. It is in fact a legal requirement to have your dog identified in this way at all times, and you could get fined if the dog if found without a collar and tag.

Register your dog or cat with Petsafe, and put the Petsafe tag on their collar; if someone finds your dog they 'phone Petsafe and report the dog, then Petsafe call you with their location and details for you to contact them to collect the dog. The telephone number for Petsafe is 0870 6050060.


		If you have lost your dog or cat within Greater London, help is at hand... Step 1 for dogs is to call the lost dogs line on: 0901 477 8477 (Calls are charged at 60p per minute) You will need to give the following details: The dog: breed. colour age, size and temperament Identification on the dog: collar, tag, microchip. Where the dog was lost Your details: name, address, telephone number. THESE DETAILS ARE ENTERED INTO A CENTRAL COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH SEARCHES FOR A POSSIBLE MATCH WITH A DOG BROUGHT IN OR REPORTED LOST OR FOUND.
		EACH TIME A DOG IS TAKEN INTO OR REPORTED TO A METROPOLITAN POLICE STATION, THE POLICE FAX THE DETAILS STRAIGHT TO THE LOST DOGS LINE, AND THE DETAILS ARE LOGGED ONTO THE COMPUTER. If the dog is not claimed from the Police Station, it will be brought into Battersea Dogs home and held for 7 days waiting for the owner to claim it. Step 2 for dogs: If we have details of your dog on the system, we'll give you the location and you can go and collect him. If there are no details on the system when you call we'll cross check against reports that come in of dogs which have been found and against the dogs which come into the Home. If we find a match we'll let you know straight away. If we are unable to find your missing pet immediately, we will advise you as to what action to take and give you as many telephone numbers as possible in your local area.
		Step 3 for dogs: Keep looking and keep in touch - we'll do our very best to find your pet, but we need you to help! We will automatically check the records for your dog for 21 days. After that time, you should make sure you telephone the Lost Dogs Line and come to the Home every 7 days to see if your dog has been reported or handed in. Our opening times are: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 4.15pm (except Thursday 2-4pm), and 10.30am to 3.15pm weekends and Bank Holidays.
		Works for Cats too! You can also report lost or found cats to us, and the system works the same way. However, we have found that the most effective way to find a lost cat is to put posters up around the local area - only a fraction of the pets lost in London which are reported or brought in to us are cats.
		If your dog or cat ends up here at Battersea Dogs Home, We will keep it for seven days to give you a chance to come and claim it. After that time, the process to rehome it will start, so make sure you come and claim it quickly! You can claim your dog or cat during the Home's opening hours, (10.30am to 4.15pm, Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 3.15pm on weekends and Bank Holidays) or between 2 and 4pm on a Thursday, when the Home is closed. You will need to bring personal identification with you, and a picture of the dog or cat is really useful. We make a small charge for the time the dog or cat has been with us for - £7.25 for each day the dog has been here, plus £5 for the vaccinations it has had, and for cats £3 a day plus £2 for vaccinations.
	What to do if you have found a dog or cat...
	You might not know what to do if you have found a stray dog or cat, but we can help! If you've found a dog or cat within Greater London (the Metropolitan Police area) help is at hand. First, phone the Lost Dogs department on the Lost Dogs Line or on 020 7627 9245. The Lost Dogs Line will ask you for a description of the animal, and where and when you found it. They'll also need to know where the animal is going next. If you do not want to keep the dog or cat in your home: bring it to us, we accept strays 24 hours a day, or call your local Council Animal Warden (normal working hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) who may be able to collect the animal from you, or take it to your local police station. If you would like to keep the dog or cat in your home: 'phone the Lost Dogs department. We will take a report and search our database for the animal's owner. If we do not find an owner immediately we will keep your report on the database for 28 days and continue searching. You must also report details of dogs to the police station local to where the dog was found (this is a legal requirement). You could also take the dog to the local vet or animal hospital to be checked over and scanned for a microchip (remember to check if there will be any charge before the vet carries out the examination) and report the dog found to the local Council Animal Warden, Vets and any other organisations (i.e. RSPCA, Blue Cross) in the area.
		TO SAVE YOURSELF ALL THE STRESS AND ANXIETY OF LOSING YOUR PET, TRY NOT TO LET IT GO MISSING IN THE FIRST PLACE! HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PREVENT YOUR DOG OR CAT GETTING LOST Ensure your dog or cat is neutered. Most of the dogs we receive at Battersea as strays are unneutered males. You can either go to the vet, or some charitable organisations have schemes to help people on low incomes and/or benefits. Keep dogs on a lead unless you are in an area where it's safe to let them off the lead. No matter how good you think your dog is, if a loud noise or sudden movement frightens him, he may run away. If your pet is new take great care when letting them out. Do not let your dog off the lead until you are sure you have 100% recall. Don't let cats outside for 4 weeks. Make sure your house is secure: if doors are often left open, or your dog often escapes when the front door is opened, fit baby-gates. Make sure your garden is secure - fences are tall enough and strong enough to be dog proof, and he can't tunnel underneath them, and gates are kept shut. Do not let your dog out to walk himself. A dog on the street without an owner is officially a stray. Make sure your dog is exercised regularly. When out with a group of people and your dog, nominate one person to be responsible for the dog - it can only take a minute for a dog to vanish.
		If your dog or cat does go missing, you are more likely to get them back if they are properly identified. Here's how: Microchipping: ensure your dog or cat is ID chipped. This is very simple and painless, can be input by your local vet for and should cost between £10 and £30. The number of the chip is held in a central database with your name and address, so if the animal is found and scanned, you can be contacted. It's a very efficient and permanent form of ID, and most animal organisations, wardens and vets hold scanners to check for microchips. Tags: all dogs and cats should wear a collar with an identification tag at all times (in addition to being microchipped). ID tags attached to a collar cost very little, are easily replaceable if lost or details are changed, and the details are immediately available to anyone who finds the lost pet. Elasticated cat collars mean the cat is identified, but won't strangle herself if she gets stuck on something. It is in fact a legal requirement to have your dog identified in this way at all times, and you could get fined if the dog if found without a collar and tag. Register your dog or cat with Petsafe, and put the Petsafe tag on their collar; if someone finds your dog they 'phone Petsafe and report the dog, then Petsafe call you with their location and details for you to contact them to collect the dog. The telephone number for Petsafe is 0870 6050060.