A microchip proves they're yours. A tracker helps you find them.
A microchip proves your dog is yours but won't stop a thief, so add a GPS tracker and keep your dog in sight. Never leave your dog tied outside a shop or alone in the yard.
Still not working?Common mistakes. Tying your dog up outside a shop: take them in, or leave them home.
In this guide
Nobody wants to picture the empty spot outside the coffee shop. Most theft prevention is free: keep your dog in sight, never tied outside a shop, and keep the chip registration current.
The rest is ten minutes of admin, plus knowing your first five moves if it ever happens.
Prevention: the free habits
Don't tie your dog up outside a shop. Take them in, or leave them home.
Don't leave your dog alone in the car. Heat is a danger on its own, and a dog alone in a car is visible to anyone walking by.
Keep the yard secure. A lock on the gate, and no unsupervised hours in a front yard.
Go easy on social posts. Skip real-time locations, and be careful posting your home area alongside photos of your dog.
Check out sitters, walkers and anyone selling or rehoming a dog to you: references and a meeting first.
Proof your dog is yours
Microchip, registered and current
A microchip only helps if the registry has your current phone number. Ask your vet to scan it at the next checkup, then check the registration online. It proves ownership if your dog turns up at a shelter or vet. It doesn't show where your dog is.
Tag on the collar
Your phone number on a tag gets a found dog home fastest, without anyone needing a scanner.
A paper trail
Keep recent clear photos (face, both sides, any markings), vet records and adoption papers or bill of sale in one folder or phone album.
Trackers: what they're good for
A live GPS collar shows where your dog is now, using GPS and a cell signal, and can alert you when your dog leaves a set zone. The catch: it needs charging and a paid plan.
An AirTag on the collar needs no plan, but it isn't live GPS. It updates only when an Apple device passes nearby, so it's best as a backup.
Search and call right away. Check the area, ask nearby shops about cameras, and check your tracker if you have one.
Report it to the microchip registry and ask them to flag the chip as lost or stolen.
Call local shelters, animal control and vet clinics, and send them a photo. Visit shelters in person if you can.
If you believe your dog was stolen, file a police report. Bring your proof-of-ownership folder.
Post widely: local lost-pet groups, neighborhood apps and flyers with a clear photo and your number. Don't share the chip number or every identifying mark publicly. Keep one detail back to verify callers.
Be careful with anyone who asks for money before returning a dog. Meet in a public place and involve the police if something feels off.
Common mistakes
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Skip these
Tying your dog up outside a shop: take them in, or leave them home.
Leaving your dog alone in the car: heat is a danger on its own, and a dog alone in a car is visible to anyone walking by.
Posting real-time locations: skip them, and be careful posting your home area alongside photos of your dog.
Letting the chip registration go stale: a microchip only helps if the registry has your current phone number.
Trusting a tracker alone: no tracker replaces keeping your dog in sight, because a thief can remove a collar.
A Love Your Pet Day checklist
Love Your Pet Day (February 20) is a good day for ten minutes of admin:
