How long do I have to file the report?

Three days is the most widespread deadline in Italy, but it is set by regional law and can differ, along with the penalties attached. Whatever the formal deadline, filing within the first hours is what makes the report useful: the registry update shows a lost pet alert to anyone scanning the microchip, and those scans almost always happen in the first twenty four hours.

Should I publish the microchip number in the notice?

No, and it is better not to. Stating that the animal is microchipped is enough. Keeping the code to yourself lets you verify anyone who claims to have found it: simply ask them to have the chip read at a clinic and to read out the last digits. Publishing the full code removes that verification tool and brings no benefit at all.

Someone called asking for money to give the animal back: what should I do?

Pay nothing and give no bank details. Ask for a verification detail that does not appear in the notice, such as the last digits of the microchip or a specific marking, and propose a meeting in a public place or a handover at a veterinary clinic. If money remains the condition, report the incident to the police with the number the call came from.

I found a dog in the street: can I keep it until the owner appears?

You still have to report it. In Italy anyone finding a stray must notify the veterinary service of the health authority or the local police, who check the microchip and start the search procedures. You may look after the animal in the meantime, but the notification is not optional: it is what links the animal to a loss report already filed.

My cat has been missing for two weeks: is it still worth searching?

Yes. Cats are regularly found after weeks, often only a few hundred metres away, because they get shut into a garage, a cellar or a courtyard they cannot leave. Keep searching in the evening, ask neighbours for permission to check closed spaces, keep the notices current and check the shelter and local clinics periodically.

Documents and paperwork40 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 3, 2026

Reporting a lost pet in Italy: the first hours

How to report a lost dog or cat in Italy: who to contact, within what deadline, how to search and what never to publish online.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Italy

What you need before you start

Il codice a quindici cifre del microchip e il documento di iscrizione in anagrafe
Almeno tre fotografie recenti e nitide, di cui una di profilo e una che mostri eventuali segni particolari
Un documento di identità valido, necessario per presentare la denuncia
I numeri del servizio veterinario della ASL, del canile sanitario di zona e della polizia locale del comune

This guide covers Italy, where a lost animal is reported to the veterinary service of the local health authority and to the town council, within deadlines set by regional law. It is not a formality to deal with at leisure: the report updates the animal's status in the registry, and from that moment anyone scanning the microchip immediately sees that the animal is being looked for. That is the difference between a dog spending a night in a shelter and a dog coming home the same evening. In the first hours three things run in parallel: searching in the way that suits the species, opening the official channels and publishing a notice that does not expose you to scams. All three are covered here in order of priority.

The first hour, before any paperwork

Dogs and cats get lost differently and must be searched for differently. A frightened dog travels a long way, follows roads and paths and often does not respond to its name, because fear suspends learned behaviour. A cat tends to stay close and hide silently within a small radius, under a car, in a garage, behind a hedge, and stays motionless even when you call.

Go back to the exact spot where the animal disappeared and leave a used blanket, the bed or a piece of clothing carrying your scent.
Leave water and a small amount of food, without overdoing it: an overflowing bowl attracts other animals and complicates the search.
With a cat, search close by and in silence, looking under cars and into narrow gaps, and repeat the search after dark with a torch.
With a dog, widen the radius immediately, alert people along the main roads and ask at shops and petrol stations.
If you see your frightened dog, do not run towards it and do not shout its name: crouch down, turn away and let it come to you.
Bring other people in straight away and give each of them an area, so you avoid covering the same ground ten times.

Who receives the report and in what order

The loss report goes to the veterinary service of the local health authority, which updates the animal's status in the regional registry, and to the town council, which usually receives it through the local police. Many regional laws set a three day deadline. If theft is suspected, a separate report goes to the police, which is a different act with different consequences.

Who to contact, what they do and what to bring
Who	What it achieves	What to bring
Veterinary service of the health authority	Updates the registry, flagging the animal as lost	Identity document and microchip code
Town council or local police	Registers the report locally and coordinates with the shelter	Animal details, place and time of last sighting
Local public shelter	Receives stray animals picked up in the area	Description, photos and a phone number always answered
Veterinary clinics in the area	Often the first place an injured animal is taken to	Photos and the microchip code
Police	Theft report, where there is reason to suspect one	Identity document, proof of ownership and an account of the facts
Neighbouring councils	A dog can cross several jurisdictions within hours	The same report, repeated for each council

The procedure in nine steps

Pin down the place and time of the last sighting
Write the exact address, the time and the direction taken. Every later communication starts from this point, and a vague description such as near the park makes the report useless to anyone searching on your behalf.
Collect the identifying details in one document
Microchip code, species, breed or crossbreed, sex, age, size, coat colour, distinguishing marks, collar and tag, any ongoing treatment. If the animal needs daily medication, say so: it raises the priority of the search.
Phone the public shelter and the local police
These are the two places a found animal physically arrives at. Ask how to send photos and a description, and how often to call back. Do not expect to be called: the daily check is yours to make.
File the report with the health authority
Bring your identity document and the microchip code. The authority flags the animal as lost in the registry, and that is what raises the alert when somebody scans the chip at a clinic, a shelter or a police station.
Alert veterinary clinics within ten kilometres
An animal hit by a car or injured goes to a clinic, not to a shelter. Send each of them a photo, the chip code and a contact number. Many practices keep a dedicated noticeboard and are glad to help.
Publish the notice with the right details
A sharp photo, species, size, colour, area and date of disappearance, and a phone number that is answered. State that the animal is microchipped, but never publish the full code: you will need it to verify whoever claims to have found it.
Organise evening searches for cats
A lost cat leaves its hiding place when the noise dies down. Search after sunset and before dawn, quietly, with a torch held at eye level to catch the reflection from the retina, stopping to listen every few metres.
Update the report every day
Call the shelter and local police again, refresh the local groups, move the posters to busier spots, add any new sightings. A report left untouched for five days is read as closed.
Close the record when the animal is found
Notify the health authority and the council, take the notices down and thank everyone who helped. A record left open causes confusion at the next check and pointless phone calls months later.

What to do and when

Priorities over the first weeks
Moment	Priority	Concrete action
First thirty minutes	Searching on site	Return to the exact spot, leave scent, water and a little food
First two hours	Opening the official channels	Calls to the public shelter, local police and clinics
Within twenty four hours	Report and notices	File the report with the health authority and publish the first notice
Within three days	Typical reporting deadline in many regions	Check that the report has been formally registered
First week	Extended search and daily checks	Daily calls to shelters, posters at busy crossing points
From the second week	Keeping the report alive	Refreshed notices, periodic contact with neighbouring councils

Animals found after several weeks are not rare, especially cats that ended up in an enclosed yard and dogs picked up by someone who did not have the chip scanned straight away. The most common reason a search fails is not distance but abandoning the channels too early: expired notices, a changed phone number, a report never formally filed.

Writing the notice and spotting the scams

A lost pet notice travels fast and ends up in places you would rather it did not. The rule is to publish everything needed to recognise the animal and nothing needed to pretend to have found it. The full microchip code and the detail of a barely visible scar are exactly the information to keep to yourself.

Publish: a sharp full body photo, species and size, coat colour, area and date of disappearance, and a phone number that is answered.
Do not publish: the full microchip code, your home address, the hours when the house is empty.
Keep at least one verifiable detail to yourself, for example the shape of a marking or a scar: it confirms that a caller really has your animal.
Be wary of anyone asking for money up front, phone credit or bank details in exchange for the animal: it is the most common scam pattern.
Be wary of callers who describe the animal using only the information in your notice and cannot answer a specific question.
If you arrange a handover, choose a public and busy place and take somebody with you.

When you find it, and when you find someone else's

Finding the animal ends the hardest part but opens two tasks: notifying the offices and arranging a clinical check. An animal that has been out for days often has dehydration, external parasites, worn pads or small wounds that get infected, and in some cases has eaten things it should not have.

Notify the health authority and the council, so the registry status returns to normal.
Book a check up even if the animal looks intact: ask for weight, hydration, parasites and paw pads to be checked.
Have the microchip rescanned, to confirm it is still readable and correctly registered.
Reintroduce food and water gradually if the animal was out for a long time, avoiding large meals straight away.
Record in the animal's diary the date, how long it was missing and its condition on return: it helps your vet and it helps you.
Review the cause of the escape, whether a gate, a thunderstorm or a window: without a fix, the episode repeats.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file the report?: Three days is the most widespread deadline in Italy, but it is set by regional law and can differ, along with the penalties attached. Whatever the formal deadline, filing within the first hours is what makes the report useful: the registry update shows a lost pet alert to anyone scanning the microchip, and those scans almost always happen in the first twenty four hours.
Should I publish the microchip number in the notice?: No, and it is better not to. Stating that the animal is microchipped is enough. Keeping the code to yourself lets you verify anyone who claims to have found it: simply ask them to have the chip read at a clinic and to read out the last digits. Publishing the full code removes that verification tool and brings no benefit at all.
Someone called asking for money to give the animal back: what should I do?: Pay nothing and give no bank details. Ask for a verification detail that does not appear in the notice, such as the last digits of the microchip or a specific marking, and propose a meeting in a public place or a handover at a veterinary clinic. If money remains the condition, report the incident to the police with the number the call came from.
I found a dog in the street: can I keep it until the owner appears?: You still have to report it. In Italy anyone finding a stray must notify the veterinary service of the health authority or the local police, who check the microchip and start the search procedures. You may look after the animal in the meantime, but the notification is not optional: it is what links the animal to a loss report already filed.
My cat has been missing for two weeks: is it still worth searching?: Yes. Cats are regularly found after weeks, often only a few hundred metres away, because they get shut into a garage, a cellar or a courtyard they cannot leave. Keep searching in the evening, ask neighbours for permission to check closed spaces, keep the notices current and check the shelter and local clinics periodically.

What to do next

In the first hour go back to the spot where the animal disappeared and leave something carrying your scent, then phone the public shelter, the local police and the clinics nearby. File the report with the health authority, bringing your identity document and the microchip code, within your region's deadline, publish a notice without the full chip code, and check every channel daily. When the animal comes back, notify the offices, book a check up and fix whatever allowed the escape.