Has your pet gone missing in Italy? The exact steps

Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika

In Italy, dogs must be registered in the anagrafe canina, a lost dog must be reported within 3 days, and stray dogs picked up by the authorities are taken to a canile sanitario for 60 days. Three places matter: the Polizia Locale or ASL veterinary service, the municipal kennel and local notice networks. Follow these steps in order.

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, and dogs within 3 km.
Post an online notice with a photo and the exact location. On Reunika, the notice becomes an alert on Facebook and Instagram in the area where the animal went missing and appears on the town map.
Report the loss within 3 days to the Polizia Locale or the ASL Servizio Veterinario. This is mandatory for lost dogs (Legge 281/1991; from 2025, failing to report a loss is subject to a 50-500 EUR fine). Mark the animal as 'smarrito' in the anagrafe (SINAC).
Call the canile sanitario/comunale of your municipality and neighbouring municipalities: captured dogs are taken there, with 10 days of health observation and 60 days of custody. Check again every 2-3 days.
Notify local vets: any surgery or the ASL service can read the chip for free and search SINAC (or the regional register, such as ACRER in Emilia-Romagna).
Post on Fiutoo (free, with alerts sent to the „Fiutatori” network), on canismarritietrovati.it (by province) and in local Facebook groups and the „Cani smarriti” page. Include the link to the notice.
Put up posters at junctions, shops and veterinary practices, with a large photo and the QR code for the notice. Do not stick them to poles or street furniture without the Comune's permission.

What is specific to Italy

A microchip is compulsory for dogs nationwide (the SINAC register, with a public search at anagrafecanina.vetinfo.it); for cats, it is compulsory only in Lombardia for cats born or acquired from 1 Jan 2020. Emilia-Romagna has its own ACRER register.
Kennels: an unidentified dog is microchipped and, if it is not claimed within 60 days, it may be put up for adoption (Legge 281/1991, art. 2). If the finder does not know the owner, Codice civile, art. 927 requires the animal to be handed to the Sindaco without delay.
Cats without a microchip living in a colony are legally 'gatti liberi': do not remove them from the colony. Posters outside Comune-designated noticeboards count as 'affissione abusiva' (51-309 EUR); use shops, veterinary practices and authorised noticeboards instead.

Common questions

I have found a dog in Italy. What should I do?

Notify the Polizia Locale or Servizio Veterinario ASL, which will arrange collection and custody; any vet can read the chip for free. Also post a found-pet notice with a photo and location, so the owner can find you before the 60 days are over.

Is a chip enough?

No. The anagrafe only helps if your details are up to date and the loss has been reported. Check the registration with the ASL or a vet.