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Lost & found · Austria
Updated September 2026

🐕 My pet is missing — where do I report it?

Direct answer

A microchipped pet is found through the chip database: report it missing at Heimtierdatenbank (Gesundheitsministerium) (heimtierdatenbank.at) so any vet or shelter scanning the chip sees it — and check your contact details there are current. Then Tierschutzombudsstelle des Landes / Amtstierarzt (tierschutzombudsstelle.at) — the animal shelter and the animal-welfare organisation for Austria, which take in strays — and Gemeindeamt / Magistrat — Bürgerservice (oesterreich.gv.at), the municipality, which collects animals from the street. Search at dawn and dusk with something that smells of home; most cats are within a few hundred metres, hiding.

Call firstHeimtierdatenbank (Gesundheitsministerium)
Report toTierschutzombudsstelle des Landes / Amtstierarzt
If that failsGemeindeamt / Magistrat — Bürgerservice

🗣️ What to say

"My [dog/cat], [name, breed, colour, age, chip number], went missing on [date] from [address/area]. [Wearing collar / not.] Please register it as missing and tell me which shelters to contact. Photo attached."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Chip database: Heimtierdatenbank (Gesundheitsministerium)Mark missing, update your phone number.
  2. Shelters and vets: Tierschutzombudsstelle des Landes / AmtstierarztCall and email the local shelters and vets with a photo; visit shelters in person — descriptions get lost.
  3. Municipality: Gemeindeamt / Magistrat — BürgerserviceFound animals are taken in by the municipal service; report yours so they match.
  4. NeighbourhoodPosters with a photo, local social-media groups, neighbours' sheds and garages. Cats: put the litter tray outside.
  5. Keep lookingCats turn up weeks later; dogs are usually found within days. Report a found pet the same way if you find one.

📇 All contacts

Heimtierdatenbank (Gesundheitsministerium)Chip register, missing reportImmediately after the pet goes missing🔗 www.heimtierdatenbank.at
Tierschutzombudsstelle des Landes / AmtstierarztAnimal-welfare inspections, prosecutionFor neglect or abuse🔗 www.tierschutzombudsstelle.at
Gemeindeamt / Magistrat — BürgerserviceMunicipal office: registration, order, noise, waste, lost propertyFor anything the municipality regulates🔗 www.oesterreich.gv.at
Polizei — Polizeiinspektion / 133Report at any police stationBurglary, theft, threats, stalking📞 133🔗 www.polizei.gv.at

❓ Frequently asked

Not chipped

Report anyway with photos; a found animal is matched by description. Microchipping is compulsory for dogs in most EU countries — get it done when the pet is back.

Someone found it and wants money

A finder can claim reasonable expenses, not a ransom. If it feels like a scam, involve the police.

Lost abroad on holiday

Chip databases are linked through the European pet-network; report at home and in the country you are in.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “missing pet report Austria”
  • “lost dog what to do”
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  • “microchip database report missing”
  • “municipal animal shelter Austria”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🐾Animal cruelty→🔍Missing person→📬Wrongly delivered mail→🧤Lost property→

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