Where to report a lost animal in Italy: all options compared
Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika
The short answer: report the loss to the Polizia Locale or the ASL and post a local alert on Reunika on the first day, then use Fiutoo and canismarritietrovati.it, the town's Facebook group and calls to the municipal kennels. Below, each option is assessed honestly, with its pros and cons.
No account. Starting the alert takes 30 seconds.
The options, one by one
- Reunika (reunika.com): a free post in one minute, a live map and an A4 poster with a QR code; optional paid alerts on Facebook and Instagram around the place where the animal went missing.
- Anagrafe canina / SINAC: the official register, with public searches by microchip. It is not an advert site; it works when someone scans the microchip. Mandatory for dogs.
- Fiutoo (fiutoo.it): free, nationwide and active; it sends alerts to the volunteer network of “Fiutatori” and generates a poster. The most widely used dedicated site in Italy.
- CANI smarriti e trovati (canismarritietrovati.it): a free national database of lost and found dogs, organised by province, with a Facebook page. Fidosmarrito (fidosmarrito.it): register your animal in advance, then distribute the alert.
- Petfocus and other classified sites: they have an audience, but low volume in the lost-and-found category. The trovacaniegatti.it site no longer exists.
- Facebook groups, organised by town, including the “Cani smarriti” page: many eyes on the post, but it disappears within hours and there is no map. Add a link to your own post in every group post.
- Polizia Locale, ASL Servizio Veterinario and municipal kennels: they are not websites, but reporting the loss to the Polizia Locale or the ASL Servizio Veterinario is the required legal step, with a 3-day deadline in many cases, and captured dogs are subject to 60 days of custody before they may be rehomed.
The combination that works
- Report the loss to the Polizia Locale/ASL and post on Reunika with a photo and the exact location.
- Post on Fiutoo and canismarritietrovati.it, then share the link in the town's Facebook group.
- Call the municipal kennels for your Comune and neighbouring Comuni every 2-3 days.
- Put up posters from the second day onwards, in permitted locations.
Common questions
Why not just use Facebook?
Because a post disappears from the feed within a few hours and cannot be found by someone searching a week later. A post with its own page stays on the map and gathers sightings; groups amplify it, with a link.