Your first priorities
- Search the immediate area calmly before widening the radius.
- Prepare one accurate description, a clear recent photo and the exact last-seen point.
- Contact Dubai Municipality on 800900 and ask for the current missing-pet process.
- Alert nearby veterinary clinics, building staff and relevant local communities.
- Protect your personal information and verify anyone claiming to have found your pet.
Realising your dog or cat is missing can turn an ordinary day into a panic. Take a breath. Useful action usually starts close to where your pet disappeared, especially during the first few hours.
1. Search the immediate area first
Start at the exact place where your pet was last seen. Check quiet, shaded and enclosed spaces before expanding the search.
- Under parked cars and around parking areas
- Stairwells, corridors, gardens and bushes
- Store rooms, service areas and behind outdoor equipment
- Construction edges and empty plots
- Familiar walking routes and places with food, shade or water
Bring a lead or carrier, treats, water and something with a familiar smell. Ask security guards, cleaners, delivery riders, gardeners and regular dog walkers whether they noticed anything.
2. Prepare one complete set of details
- A recent, clear photograph
- Name, species, breed, colour, sex and approximate size
- Collar or harness description
- Exact last-seen place, date and time
- Distinctive markings, medical needs or behavioural warnings
- A phone number that someone will answer
3. Contact Dubai Municipality
Call Dubai Municipality on 800900 or use the Dubai Municipality app and ask for the current missing-owned-pet process. The Municipality's integrated shelter in Warsan includes a centre for reuniting lost pets with owners after identification and ownership details are verified.
Dubai Municipality does not currently publish a complete owner-facing lost-pet workflow on the official pages reviewed. Ask how the report should be routed and what follow-up applies to your case. Do not rely on Dubai Police's general lost-property service, which is described for property rather than pets.
4. Alert nearby veterinary clinics and building staff
Call clinics closest to where your pet disappeared and your usual vet. Someone finding an animal may take it to a clinic for injuries or a microchip scan. Ask building management to preserve relevant CCTV footage before it is overwritten.
5. Publish a useful local alert
A useful alert immediately explains what the pet looks like, where and when they were last seen, whether they are safe to approach and how to contact the owner. Use a named landmark or map pin instead of a broad area.
Ask people not to chase a frightened pet. Be cautious if someone demands money before providing evidence. Ask for a current photo or a private identifying detail that was not included in your public alert.
6. Search again when the area is quieter
Repeat the search after traffic and footfall decrease. Keep one person reachable near home or the escape point. Stop regularly and listen. If you see your pet, avoid running directly at them. Use a calm voice, turn slightly sideways and offer familiar food if it is safe.
Before the first day ends
- Refresh alerts with verified sightings rather than creating conflicting posts
- Keep your phone charged and audible
- Confirm the microchip number and registered contact details with your vet or issuing authority
- Keep a written log of calls, searched locations and sightings
- Continue checking with Dubai Municipality and nearby clinics
When your pet returns, mark every alert as reunited so people stop searching. Arrange veterinary attention if they appear injured, dehydrated, overheated or unusually quiet, then update the collar tag, microchip contact record and PetsGo profile.
