Where to report a lost pet in Germany: all options compared
Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika
The short answer: use them together, in this order: post online with a local alert on Reunika, report the loss to the microchip registry (TASSO or FINDEFIX), contact the Fundbüro and Tierheim, then use Facebook groups and kleinanzeigen.de. 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 listing in under a minute, a live map of the area and an A4 poster with an automatically generated QR code; optionally, a paid alert on Facebook and Instagram to neighbours in the area where the pet went missing. The fastest way to cover an entire area.
- TASSO (tasso.net): Europe's largest pet registry, free to use, with search notices (Suchmeldungen), posters and a telephone helpline available around the clock. Essential if the pet has a chip registered there; it does not offer local alerts.
- FINDEFIX (findefix.com): the Deutscher Tierschutzbund's free register, with a search map and poster generator. The same principle applies: it works when someone scans the microchip.
- Deutsche Tiermeldezentrale (tiermeldezentrale.de): a free lost-and-found listing database with radius and Bundesland filters and microchip searches. Useful as a second place to publish your listing.
- kleinanzeigen.de, the Vermisste Tiere category: thousands of active listings across Germany; it has a large audience, but no local alert, and listings quickly get buried. Worth posting on, but not as your main strategy.
- Facebook groups (national and local): the most active channel for reaching neighbours. Downsides: posts disappear within a few hours, there is no map, and nobody outside the group can see anything. Add a link to your listing in every post.
- Fundbüro and Tierheim: these are not websites, but they are an essential step: by law, found pets must be reported to the owner or, if the owner is unknown, to the Fundbehörde (usually the municipal Fundbüro; the police are also accepted), and municipalities usually house them via a contracted Tierheim.
The combination that works
- Post the listing on Reunika with a photo and the exact location (1 minute).
- Report the loss to TASSO or FINDEFIX and check the contact details (if the pet has a chip).
- Add the listing link to 2-3 local Facebook groups and to kleinanzeigen.de.
- Call the Fundbüro and Tierheim every day; from the second day onwards, put up posters in the area only where this is allowed, for example in shops, veterinary practices, shelters or notice boards with consent.
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 tomorrow or next week. A listing with its own page stays on the map, appears in searches and collects sightings in one place; groups are useful as an amplifier, with a link.