Practical info: Lost dogs | Basque Country with your dog | Basque Country Tourism

Lost dogs / Adoption

Practical info for website 'The Basque Country with a dog'

Dogs are part of the family, and if they get lost, it is one of the most stressful and tough experiences a person can face, more so if you happen to be on a journey or outside your usual habitat. It is also truly traumatic for the dogs, so we ask you never to lose sight of your dog.

A good way to do so is always to walk your dog on a lead, don't leave him/her outside shops or restaurants and in case of letting them loose in dog parks or other area in which it is allowed, be sure to keep it always under control and be sure it responds to your call.

Above all, remain calm: it's difficult but it will help you move more quickly and think clearly. The dog is sure to have become disoriented and you'll soon find him/her. The Basque Country is a territory in which both locals and authorities will do all they can to help you. European and Autonomous Community legislation in Spain requires all dogs to be identified with a microchip: this number is equivalent to a person's identity card or passport number. It's very useful if a dog gets lost.

  1. First, search the area where you saw the dog for the last time, on foot, calling him/her, and asking passers-by, showing them a photo of the dog. You must also have your mobile handy with the sound switched on, because if someone has found your dog alone and it has your mobile number on its name tag, they will call you. If the dog is not wearing a tag, it is possible that they have taken it to a nearby vet's to read the microchip, and also call you from there.
  2. If the first step has not proved fruitful, call or visit the nearest police station to report the loss. Find out there who is in charge of managing lost and abandoned animals in the municipality where you are. Go to the dog shelter in person and explain your case, show them or leave them a photo and do the necessary follow-up
  3. You should also make contact with the Red Española de Identificación de Animales de Compañía [Spanish Pet Identification Network] (REIAC), which is the register where all our pets are recorded. It shares data with the European pet network (Europetnet), in case the animal is lost in Europe, and with PETMAXX, in case it has been lost or appears in other countries around the world.
    REIAC phone number: +34 954 54 27 01
    As soon as he/she appears, inform the register that you have found him/her so they can change the alert “status” associated with your dog's microchip.

Alternatively, call the autonomous community register where your dog is on the censor. Here you'll find a list of autonomous community registers in Spain

  • Andalusia: RAIA Register
    Tel. 954 542 701 / 954 282 025
    Opening hours: 08:00 to 20:00
    Email: raia@raia.org | Website: http://www.raia.es
    Address: Gonzalo Bilbao 23-25, CP 41003, Sevilla (Sevilla)
  • ARAGÓN: RIACA Register
    Tel. 976 31 85 33/976 31 84 38
    Email: zaragoza@colvet.es | Website: www.riaca.org
    Address: Parque Roma bloque I7 bajos, CP 50010, Zaragoza (Zaragoza)
  • ASTURIAS: RIAPA Register
    Tel. 985 212 907/985 229 822
    Opening hours: 09:30 to14:30 and 16:00 to 19:00
    Email: riapa@colegioveterinarios.net | Website: http://www.colegioveterinarios.net
    Address: PLAZA DE AMERICA 10 – 2°, CP 33005, OVIEDO (ASTURIAS)
  • VALENCIAN COMMUNITY: RIVIA Register
    Tel. 902 151 640
    Opening hours: 08:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00
    Email: cvcv@cvcv.org
    Address: AVDA DEL CID, 62 – 2, CP 46018, VALENCIA (VALENCIA)
  • CANARY ISLANDS: ZOOCAN Register
    Tel. 928296959/902301001
    Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 20:00
    Email: laspalmas@vetcan.org – sctenerife@vetcan.org | Website: http://www.zoocan.net
    Address: Luis Doreste Silva, 30 b / Comandte. Sánchez Pinto, 7, CP 35004, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria / S/C de Tenerife (Las Palmas / Sta. Cruz de Tenerife)
  • CANTABRIA: RACIC Register
    Tel. 942 207 812
    Opening hours: 09:00 to 14:30
    Email: racic@gobcantabria.es
    Address: C/ ALBERT EINSTEIN n° 2 (PCTCAN), CP 39011, SANTANDER (SANTANDER)
  • CASTILLA LA MANCHA: SIIA Register
    Tel. 925223952
    Email: info@convetcaman.org | Website: http://www.siiaclm.org
    Address: C/ Quintanar de la Orden, 8, CP 45004, Toledo (Toledo)
  • CASTILLA AND LEÓN: SIACYL Register
    Tel. 980522242 / 980522242
    Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00
    Email: zamora@colvet.es | Website: http://www.siacyl.org
    Address: Fotógrafo Pepe Gracia s/n, CP 24005, LEON (LEON)
  • CATALONIA: AIAC Register
    Tel. 934 189 294 / 902 170 401
    Opening hours: 09:00 to 19:00 horas (24-hour service Tel. 902 170 401)
    Email: aiac@veterinaris.cat | Website: www.veterinaris.cat
    Address: Ferrán Puig, 15, CP 08023, Barcelona (Barcelona)
  • CEUTA: SIACE Register
    Tel. 956 51 42 36 / 956 51 42 36
    Email: ceuta@colvet.es | Website: http://www.siace.org
    Address: Calle Álvarez, 1, CP 51001, Ceuta (Ceuta)
  • EXTREMADURA: RIACE Register
    Tel. 927 22 44 25
    Opening hours: 09:00 to 14:00 – 16:00 to 17:00 Friday: 08:00 to 15:00
    Email: caceres@colvet.es | Website: www.riace.es
    Address: Avda. Virgen de la Montaña 28, CP 10004, Cáceres (Cáceres)
  • GALICIA: REGIAC Register Tel. 988 60 30 75 / 988 60 30 75
    Opening hours: 10:00 to 14:00
    Email: axuda@regiac.org | Website: https://regiac.xunta.gal
    Address: C/ Ramón Cabanillas n° 2 2° B, CP 32004, Ourense (Ourense)
  • BALEARIC ISLANDS: RIACIB Register
    Tel. 971 71 30 49 / 971 71 30 44
    Opening hours: 08:00 -15:00
    Email: administracio@covib.org | Website: www.covib.org
    Address: Cecilio Metelo, 14 – 2° derecha, CP 07003, Palma de Mallorca (ISLAS BALEARES)
  • LA RIOJA: RIAC Register
    Tel. 941291100
    Opening hours 08:00 -15:00
    Email: identificacion.animal@larioja.org | Website: http://www.larioja.org/riac
    Address: Ctra. de Burgos KM. 6. Finca La Grajera, CP 26071, Logroño (Logroño)
  • MADRID: RIAC Register
    Tel. 915645459 / 902222678
    Opening hours: 09:30 to 20:00, 7 days a week
    Email: riac@colvema.org | Website: www.riacmadrid.org
    Address: C/ MAESTRO RIPOLL 8, CP 28006, MADRID (MADRID)
  • MELILLA: SIAMEL Register
    Tel. 952 676 337
    Email: siamel@siamel.org | Website: http://www.siamel.org/
    Address: General Villalba, 25 local 1, CP 52006, Melilla (Melilla)
  • MURCIA: SIAMU Register
    Tel. 968 23 64 58
    Opening hours: 09:30 to 13:30
    Email: murcia@colvet.es | Website: http://www.siamu.org
    Address: Avda. Constitución, 13, CP 30008, MURCIA (MURCIA)
  • NAVARRE: COVETNAPET Register
    COLEGIO OFICIAL DE VETERINARIOS DE NAVARRA
    Avenida Baja Navarra, 47 – 31002 PAMPLONA/IRUÑA
    Teléfono: 948 22 00 72 | Fax: 948 22 84 39
    Email: info@covetna.org | Website: http://www.covetnapet.covetna.org/iframes/quees.asp
  • BASQUE COUNTRY: REGIA Register (Reg. Gral. Id. An. C.A. País Vasco)
    Tel. 945 016 311 / 945 019 64
    Opening hours: Outside opening hours, the security forces, forest rangers, fire brigade, courts, animal identification registers and city halls can be consulted at telephone number 944441444.
    Email: regia@euskadi.eus | Website: http://www.nekanet.net/censocanino/default.asp
    Address: C/ Donostia-San Sebastián n° 1, CP 01010, VITORIA-GASTEIZ (ALAVA)

We hope it's just an unpleasant surprise and you'll soon be back together again. Pet travel insurance covers costs related to the search, amendment of travel bookings, etc. in case of a lost animal.

If you see a dog without a human, disoriented, try to help it. Imagine that some other day it could be yours and that you would be enormously grateful if someone took the trouble to bring him/her back to you.

The first thing you should do is try to identify the animal to find out if it is lost or has been abandoned.

  • Call it, kneel down and talk to it in a gentle voice; you can try to attract it with some food. If you can see that it is very frightened, try throwing it some food. To begin with, a long way from you, then closer, little-by-little, so you can gain its confidence.
  • If it allows you to get close enough, try to improvise a lead so it doesn't run off and check to see if it has an identification tag. There you will find a telephone number: call and make its humans happy, they're bound to be looking for it desperately.
  • If it is not wearing a tag or collar, you can wait a while in the area in case any human appears looking for it, or ask a neighbour if they know the dog. There's a chance it has run away from a nearby house and that's why it isn't wearing a collar or identification.
  • If no one shows up after this time, we can still read the microchip where all the contact information of its owners should appear. Try to put it on a lead and take it to a vet's for them to read the data contained in the microchip (it's free of charge)
  • If you can't get close to it, you can help by telling the emergency services or the police, telling them the whereabouts of the lost dog and giving them a description (you can take a photo).
  • If it is injured or aggressive, it's best not to get close, remain nearby and call the authorities so they can come and collect it.
  • If the dog has no microchip, both the vet and the police can tell the abandoned dog collection service or a dog shelter in the area so they can take charge of it.

If its owners do not appear, it has been abandoned and your circumstances permit it, perhaps you can take charge of it temporarily or, why not, give it the chance to live in your home and carry out the processes to adopt it. That way, you'll take a unique souvenir of your trip to the Basque Country.

If you're looking for a new member of the family on your visit to the Basque Country, we encourage you to contact the dog shelters or each area. They can help you look for your new best friend and will tell you what steps to follow.

List of dog shelters:

Bizkaia Gipuzkoa Álava

You can see more practical information by clicking here.