Where to report a lost pet in Austria: all options compared
Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika
The short answer: post an online alert with local reach on Reunika, check Heimtierdatenbank, call Fundservice Wien if you are in Vienna or the Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde/Amtstierarzt and your local animal shelter elsewhere, then post in Facebook groups. Below, each option is assessed honestly.
No account. Starting the alert takes 30 seconds.
The options, one by one
- Reunika (reunika.com): a free post in one minute, live map and A4 poster with QR code; optional paid alert on Facebook and Instagram in the area where the pet went missing. The fastest way to get local coverage.
- Heimtierdatenbank (heimtierdatenbank.ehealth.gv.at): the official national database, with a public microchip search for dogs and cats. It is not an advertising site: it helps when someone scans the chip. Registration is mandatory for dogs, mandatory for breeding cats, and voluntary but useful for pet cats.
- Fundservice Wien (wien.gv.at) and tiersuche.noe.gv.at: free official databases of found animals in Vienna and Lower Austria; this is where animals collected by the authorities are listed.
- Petcard (petcard.at) and animaldata.com: authorised registration services with their own lists of missing animals; useful if you are already registered there.
- Tierschutz Austria (tierschutz-austria.at): the country’s largest shelter, offering guidance and telephone support, with found animals posted on Facebook.
- Regional Facebook groups: the most eyes on your post, but it disappears within hours, with no map or search function. Add the link to your listing to every post.
The combination that works
- Post on Reunika with a photo and the exact location.
- Check Heimtierdatenbank and post on Petcard/animaldata if relevant.
- Call Fundservice Wien if you are in Vienna, or the Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde/Amtstierarzt and the local animal shelter elsewhere; follow up daily.
- Share the listing link in 2-3 Facebook groups; put up posters from the second day.
Common questions
Why not just use Facebook groups?
Because a post gets buried within a few hours and cannot be found by someone searching a week later. A listing with its own page stays on the map and collects sightings; groups work well as an amplifier when you include the link.