Thank you for visiting our MISSING DOG portal. We help locate hunting dogs that have been lost in Virginia only. The instructions and important links are below.
INSTRUCTIONS:
On the portal, you may post two pictures per dog, record a description, and the exact last sighting. All licensed animal shelters and pounds in Virginia will be notified by email that your dog is missing and being actively sought and will be provided with some basic information directing them to this site for full details and assistance. Your name will not be provided to anyone but the finder or a qualified shelter.
You may also print a poster to place in a store and other spots in your community (you will be able to put personal information on this poster).
When you fill out the form, some fields are required. If you have any questions, contact us at missingdog@vahda.org or info@vahda.org for assistance.
There is no charge for this service, but we hope you will find it valuable and will consider making a donation to help keep this service available to Virginia’s hunters. We are also listed in the DGIF hunting and trapping regulation digest.
LINKS:
FACTS ABOUT POUNDS
1 – Pounds and Shelters must keep dogs for at least five days and maintain written records about the animal, which are open to anyone asking about a lost dog. § 3.2-6551
2 – The pound must make a reasonable effort to ascertain whether the animal has a collar, tag, license, tattoo, CHIP or other form of identification. If such identification is found on the animal, the animal shall be held for an additional five days, unless sooner claimed by the rightful owner. If the rightful owner of the animal can be readily identified, the operator or custodian of the pound must make a reasonable effort to notify the owner of the animal’s confinement within the next 48 hours following its confinement.
3 – An animal confined that has not been claimed upon expiration of the appropriate holding period as provided above, it shall be deemed abandoned and become the property of the pound and can be killed.
4 – The pound shall maintain a written record of the information on each animal submitted to the pound by an individual in accordance with subdivision A 2 of § 3.2-6551 for a period of 30 days from the date the information is received by the pound. If a person contacts the pound inquiring about a lost companion animal, the pound shall check its records and make available to such person any information submitted by the individual or allow such person inquiring about a lost companion animal to view the written records.
5 – An animal confined pursuant to this section shall be kept for a period of not less than five days; such period to commence on the day immediately following the day the animal is initially confined in the facility, unless sooner claimed by the rightful owner thereof. Any individual who finds a companion animal and: (i) provides care or safekeeping; or (ii) retains a companion animal in such a manner as to control its activities shall notify Animal Control and/or the owner, within 48 hours § 3.2-6551
Please feel free to contact missingdog@vahda.org or info@vahda.org for questions or assistance.