Has your pet gone missing in Germany? The exact steps

Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika

In Germany, a found animal is legally treated as lost property (Fundsache) and goes to the local authority or the Tierheim it has a contract with. So the quickest route home runs through three places: the microchip register (TASSO or FINDEFIX), the municipal Fundbüro and the local shelter. Here is the order that matters.

No account. Starting the alert takes 30 seconds.

The steps, in order

Search on foot during the first few hours, close to where your pet went missing: cats usually stay within 500 m, while dogs are usually found within 3 km.
Post an online listing with a photo and the exact location. On Reunika, your listing becomes an alert on Facebook and Instagram in the area where your pet went missing and appears on the town map.
If your pet has a microchip, report it as missing to the register where it is recorded: TASSO (tasso.net, 24-hour helpline +49 6190 937300) or FINDEFIX (findefix.com, +49 228 6049635). Both are free. An unregistered microchip leads nowhere: check that your contact details are up to date.
Call the municipality's Fundbüro and the local Tierheim: this is where animals found by other people are taken, and the local authority pays for their care. Follow up every day.
Notify nearby veterinary practices: any vet can read a microchip for free and search TASSO and FINDEFIX.
Post in local Facebook groups and on kleinanzeigen.de under “Vermisste Tiere”: these are the channels with the widest reach in Germany. Include the link to your listing so the information stays in one place.
Put up posters at junctions, shops and veterinary practices, with a large photo and the QR code for your listing. Do not attach them to poles or street furniture without the local authority’s permission.

What is specific to Germany

Dog laws are set by each federal state: microchipping is compulsory for all dogs only in Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia (Bremen from 1 July 2026); it is not compulsory for cats anywhere. Registration with TASSO or FINDEFIX is voluntary, but free and decisive.
Anyone who finds an animal is legally required to report it to the Fundbüro (BGB §965 et seq.); the finder only becomes the owner after 6 months (BGB §973), but shelters may put the animal up for adoption earlier, provided that the owner can still reclaim it.
The finder’s statutory reward (Finderlohn) is 3% of the animal’s value (BGB §971). Posters on poles and trees require special-use permission (Sondernutzungserlaubnis) from the local authority.

Common questions

I have found an animal in Germany. What am I required to do?

Report it without delay to the municipality's Fundbüro (or the police) and hand over the animal if asked; the local authority places it in a Tierheim and covers the costs. In the meantime, take it to a vet to have its microchip read and post a found-animal listing with a photo and location.

Is a microchip enough for me to be contacted?

No. A microchip is only a number. The owner can be found only if that number is registered, with up-to-date contact details, with TASSO or FINDEFIX. Check your registration today, not when your pet goes missing.