The DogLost app is the fab new way of finding your lost or stolen dog. It allows you to share information on your missing pet with other DogLost users and via social media.

It links you to the 90,000 – and rising – users on the DogLost website which has assisted over 80,000 lost and found dogs in the past 12 years and helped reunite 7,000 last year.

The DogLost app is a social network which works in conjunction with the DogLost website and its volunteers, which engages with people in their area to help in the speedy return of a dog that has been lost, stolen or found. However, you will need to register on the app.

The app makes it easier to find a lost dog: His or her profile will be sent to other app users within a 20 mile radius of your location and can resend as many times as you like in the same or new location and share on Facebook and Twitter.

Information on your dog can be stored in your new account, so if he goes missing you can share this news instantly – reducing the time it takes to get out information about your lost or stolen dog and increasing the likelihood of being reunited.

The app is being launched ahead of DogLost’s new website which will go online at the end of the month.

Download the app now to join the DogLost community to help reunite thousands of missing dogs with their owners every year.

iPhone app          Android app

The government has turned its back on the nation’s pet owners by refusing to make the scanning of microchips compulsory.

In response to the #ScanMe petition being run by Vets Get Scanning, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that “The Government does not consider it necessary therefore to require everyone who comes into contact with a dog to scan it in order to …………. establish whether the dog is lost or stolen.”

The astonishing statement comes on the back of DogLost’s figures for 2015 which show that some 17,000 lost and found dogs were registered with the organisation last year. Some of the 7,000 that were reunited were done so because their microchips had been scanned.

Said DogLost’s spokesperson, Nik Oakley “It is incomprehensible that the government should introduce compulsory microchips and not compel all vets, local authorities, rescues and government agencies to scan a stray animal.”

In the statement, Defra claims that compulsory chipping will mean that stray animals will be reunited with their owners much quicker, failing to understand that this can only happen if an animal is scanned.

Continued Nik Oakley ‘Defra continually refuse to listen or debate the issue, preferring to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that dog theft is not a serious growing problem or that somehow an animal will miraculously find its way home.”

“It is not good enough for Defra to rely on the few good vets who scan as a matter of course. It is no wonder that we have thousands of dogs who have never been reunited or who are reunited years and years later when they are finally scanned.”

It is a long-held belief by many animal charities that compulsory microchips are not being introduced in order to reunite missing pets but in response to controlling dangerous dogs.

DogLost will continue to campaign for compulsory scanning with its partners in the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance. The #ScanMe petition runs until 21 January.

The Government’s full response can be read here.

DogLost helped to reunite nearly 7,000 dogs in 2015 – up 400 from the previous year.

The most ever achieved in its 12-year history, the stories range from the dramatic to the more ordinary.

Some involved joint operations with police forces where DogLost investigators and volunteers located dogs and the police raided premises and seized the dogs. The story that received the most coverage was Monty the English Bull Terrier who had sniffed out his owner’s cancer but was stolen whilst on a walk.

Sometimes our co-ordinators are called out to railway lines and motorways where dogs have been spotted. Other dramatic stories have  involved DogLost working with coastguards to retrieve dogs in danger along the coastline. One little Border Collie puppy had to be rescued from a ledge after the Cornwall team heard his wimpering.

Some stories involved vast periods of time when owners had given up all hope of ever seeing their dog again. One eagle-eyed helper spotted a Springer Spaniel on the found pages and believed it to be Bluebell who was stolen three years earlier. Imagine the owner’s amazement when it turned out to be her.

But most of DogLost’s stories are much more mundane: They involve advice, support and legwork from our volunteers and helpers. Whether it’s advice on searching, laying trails or traps or getting the local media to take an interest, it’s all in a day’s work for DogLost.

And the greatest reward for our volunteer network is the tears of joy from owners when they are reunited with their precious dogs.

2016 will be an even bigger year for DogLost and if you think you have the skills to help on the ground or online, then please contact us at admin@doglost.co.uk with volunteering in the subject line.

Whilst we’re busy greeting guests and keeping everyone entertained and fed, it’s easy for dogs to slip out unnoticed – sometimes for hours before you realise. So here is a little advice to keep your four-legged family member safe:

• Check that gates and fences are secure and that your dog can’t dig his way out: A bored dog will always think the grass is greener.
• Keep exterior doors shut and locked at all times
• Always know where your dog is – however busy you are – and ideally assign one person to look after them
• Don’t leave your dog in the garden for long periods, tied up outside a shop or in the car whilst you visit friends and relatives. Thieves work Christmas.
• And don’t forget that chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions and many nuts are poisonous to dogs, so absolutely no Christmas cake or pudding!

Christmas is one of the busiest times for DogLost with so many dogs going missing. But we will be manning our free helpline all over the Christmas period with our normal opening hours of 0700-2100.

Ask the owner of any missing dog the time of year that they dread most and they’ll say Christmas. That stocking full of presents that won’t get opened or that empty food dish that won’t be filled.

So DogLost is pleased to bring some Christmas cheer with more than 150 dogs reunited in the week leading up to Christmas.

Here are just a few of our favourite heart-warming stories.

Firstly there was Bonnie the Akita cross puppy who was snatched from her garden in West Yorkshire wearing her Christmas reindeer jumper. She was spotted being sold on Facebook two weeks later by the owner’s sharp-eyed father.

Then there was Alfie the young Afghan who had just moved to Blackpool and escaped not knowing the area. Seen around town, the owner and helpers searched a caravan site and an adjacent compound for the shy but friendly dog. Alfie was finally tackled by a member of the public the following day and returned home.

And on the subject of runners, a racing greyhound called Sizzling Girl escaped from the Sheffield Owlerton stadium still wearing her racing jacket. Spotted in the woods near the stadium Gina – her pet name – managed to evade capture for a whole week despite the search parties and traps.

Meanwhile in leafy Surrey, Maximus the Cocker Spaniel puppy was snatched in a break-in. Leaving the other working dogs behind, the Police believed he was stolen to order. The car involved was later pursued by the police and when it crashed little Maximus had already been moved on. The following day the puppy was handed in to a local kennels and reunited with its very happy owner.

Little Reggie the Chihuahua was found 200 miles away from his north London home some four months after he went missing. Convinced that he was stolen, owners Lucy and Gerry were elated to get a call from Merseyside Dogs Home where Reggie had been handed in and scanned.

Another Chihuahua called Charlie was reunited with our Halo scanner after being missing for more than five months from Washington, Tyne and Wear. Quite out of the blue our admin team received a call that Charlie had been scanned at a vets. What a wonderful Christmas present for the owners !

For more seasonal tales, go to our reunited pages:

DogLost’s first Christmas auction raised nearly £700 in a five-day period last week.

The auction – the brainchild of DogLost supporters Vanessa Stollery, Chrissie Heath and Lesley Jones – attracted more than 70 lots including ones from Barking Heads, Company of Animals, Ruffwear and Turtle Mat.

Bidding was fierce and frantic on some lots, particularly on Nina Ottoson interactive games for dogs and a top of the range Powder Hound dog coat.

A special thanks goes to Lesley Jones for crafting many original Christmas decorations and gifts.

The funds raised will go to supporting the DogLost helpline which offers valuable advice to owners who have lost their dogs. The helpline – which runs 14 hours a day, seven days a week – operates on the country’s largest lost and found website.

The DogLost Auction Page will continue year-round and will have plenty of bargains for DogLost members.

A DogLost spokesperson said: “We are very grateful for all the donations we received for the auction and for the many people who bid.”

A Border Collie separated from his owner along a creek-side path is the 50,000th dog that DogLost has helped to reunite.

Sam was running along a footpath that leads to Godrevy beach in Cornwall with fellow Collies when owner Lorraine Sharpe suddenly realised he was nowhere to be seen. Terrified he had slipped into the water and been washed away, Lorraine turned to DogLost for some help.

The Cornwall team – headed by Area Co-ordinator, Maxine Young – swung into action making sure that Lorraine got the advice that was needed and that Sam’s details were shared around the locality through the website’s automated service, social media and local contacts.

For Lorraine it was a long and worrying night, and a search of the beach by volunteers in the morning failed to reveal Sam.

But good news came later in the day from a couple who run a remote b & b at Nanterrow Farm.   Said Lorraine: “Sam was found sitting where their old Border Collie, Billy, is buried and they believe that he was led there by the spirit of their old dog.”

Sam is the spitting image of Billy in looks, temperament and personality. When owner, Glyn, came home, Sam just tucked in beside him like Billy used to. Continued Lorraine: “ When Glyn looked down he thought he’d seen a ghost ! So we are really thanking Billy for guiding Sam to his lovely owners.”

Like most owners, Lorraine is so grateful to DogLost, its network of volunteers and helpers, and of course, in this instance, the spirit of Billy. “Thank you so, so much for everything that everyone did to find him., continued Lorraine. “I met people on the beach who came out specifically to look for him and I’m eternally gratefully to have him home and safe and cared for.”

Dog owners are encouraged to pre-register their dogs with DogLost and take away some of the stress involved when a dog gets lost or stolen. The simple process can be done online at www.doglost.co.uk and is entirely free.

Dog owners are being urged to keep their dogs safe as the fireworks season starts.

Said DogLost founder, Jayne Hayes: “This time of year is one of the busiest as dogs get frightened by fireworks and bolt.”

Whilst many return home on their own, or are found locally, others are often tragically involved in road accidents or hit by trains.

Said a DogLost spokesperson: “We have a few simple suggestions for owners to ensure they keep their dogs safe:”

• Never take your dog for a walk after dark – even if you think he isn’t nervous
• If you have to take him out in the back garden use a lead – dogs have been known to leap fences out of fear
• Create a safe and secure ‘bunker’ in a familiar place
• Invest in some Adaptil or a Thunder shirt if your dog is particularly nervous
• Make sure he’s registered with DogLost should the worst happen

Continued Jayne Hayes: “Many owners get caught out because of the length of time that fireworks are being used. It is no longer just Guy Fawkes nights but also includes the Diwali festival.”

DogLost is launching a new app that will link directly to the website.

The moment a dog goes missing, its photo and description – together with the time and place last seen – will be sent out to all DogLost members up to a 20 mile radius. The information will also be posted to social media

The app, which will replace the existing DogLost app has been developed by award-winning Taiga Technologies who originally created an app for missing children and elderly persons.

The app will be available for both iPhones and Androids at the end of the month.

When Border Collie, Misty, was reported missing to DogLost, from Seaford railway station this afternoon, no-one expected her to be found in the sea.

Newhaven Coastguard were alerted and whilst the response vehicle was en route, another member of the Coastguard team arrived on scene.

Misty was 200 yards out and too far for one of the rescue swimmers so a request was made for the Newhaven Lifeboat, which was quickly on the scene and two crewmen entered the water to assist Misty who was struggling to swim and continually going under the water.

Said a spokesperson for the Coastguard: “The Lifeboat crewmen managed to get the dog aboard despite despite snapping and injuring one of the crewmen.”

Once in the cabin and wrapped in a blanket, Misty calmed down and was returned to the Lifeboat station where she was met by Coastguards and owner, Sue.

Misty was taken to an emergency vet in Brighton and the crewman to an out of hours doctor.

Said a spokesperson for DogLost: “Obviously our volunteers are not able to rescue dogs from the sea, so we are very grateful for the Coastguard and the Lifeboat coming to Misty’s aid. We hope that both Misty and the crewman make a speedy recovery.”

If a dog owner should find themselves in a similar situation, they are reminded that they should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Photo courtesy Newhaven Coastguard