English


This is Stichting Amivedi Nederland's official website for the registration of lost and found domestic animals.

Because we are a  national foundation and, for 99% of the time, cater for the Dutch market, our website is written in the Dutch language.  

You can register either by telephone or on-line.  Although most of our volunteers will be able to assist you, albeit with limited English, it will be helpful if you could ask a native speaking relative, friend, colleague or neighbour to help you register a lost or found pet.

It is important to choose the registration point for the city in which the animal was lost or found, and not your own city of residence (in case they are not the same).  You will find the correct registration point by selecting the black button at the top in the middle of the page "uw meldpunt kiezen".  Fill in the city where the animal was lost or found.  You will then be able to select the registration point you need to contact.  If you have more than one option, choose the one in the right municipality or area within the city.

Is is important that you also inform other organisations, for example the local animal shelter and animal ambulance.  You will find relevant telephone numbers on the right hand side of the contact information page under tips for this registration point.

If you have difficulty finding the right registrationpoint, please contact our Central Information Number 0900-2648334.  They will not actually register for you, but they will be happy to direct you to the registration point for your area.  

MY PET IS MISSING

The following is important when a pet has gone missing and will greatly improve the chances of you being reunited with your pet

  • Contact your nearest AMIVEDI branch as soon as possible.
  • Inform as many people as possible about your missing pet (neighbours, shops, police, animal shelters etc.).
  • Distribute posters with a description of your pet, the date and area in which your pet was last seen, and your phone number. Ask people to look in their attics and barns, garages and outhouses. Through our website you can easily create your own poster.
  • If your animal has an implanted microchip, check to make sure the registration is still up to date.
  • Be careful with offering a reward. This may attract imposters and swindlers. If you do decide to offer a reward, then don’t mention the amount of the reward money!
  • Visit animal shelters in your neighbourhood frequently and leave them with a picture of your pet.
  • If your animal is still missing after a few weeks, don’t give up hope too soon. Remain in contact with animal shelters, police etc. Naturally, Amivedi will also stay alert.
  • Place ads in newspapers and on message boards in shops and schools where there are lots of people.
  • If a pet goes missing after moving: contact your old neighbours and the new residents of your old house.
  • In the case of a missing cat: call the cat’s name when it is quiet outside, for example at night or at dawn.
  • Dogs that go missing during their walk often go back to the spot where they last saw their owner or guide. Leave something behind which has the scent of home on it or park your car as closely as possible to that spot

I HAVE FOUND AN ANIMAL

Animals are found all year round. Of course, not every animal walking around has been abandoned by someone. A dog walking along the highway is quickly assumed to have been dumped out of a car. Luckily, this is often not the case. The dog may have escaped from a car or may just be taking a walk from its home or holiday residence. When in doubt, it is wise to report the animal to AMIVEDI.

A skinny cat walking around is often picked up with the thought that it must have been  neglected and/or left behind. The animal usually turns out to live nearby. It is skinny because it is old or sick. Such an animal often needs special diet food, so be careful with feeding the animal.

A found animal, any type of animal, usually has an owner who will want his/her animal back. Luckily, the majority of found animals are returned to their rightful owner. 

On finding an animal, it is important to report this to AMIVEDI as soon as possible. Describe the animal as accurately as you can and – if possible – take pictures.  Ask around to find out if anyone knows the animal. Hanging up posters often helps people to quickly recognize the animal. Through our site you can easily create a poster yourself.

Nowadays, many animals have an implanted identification chip. It is important that the animal you’ve found is checked for a chip.  Through the registration of this chip, in the majority of cases, the animal can be reunited with its owner.

If you can: put a collar on the found animal, saying “where do I live?” and include your telephone number.

If you find an animal at your holiday location, do NOT take it home! Take the animal to the proper authorities in your holiday region and report it to the Amivedi branch closest to the place where the animal was found. This substantially increases the chances of the animal  being reunited with its owner.

When you find an injured animal, it is important to get help as quickly as possible. It’s best to contact the animal rescue services first, so they can take the animal to a veterinarian. Once that is done, remember to register the animal with AMIVEDI, which will hopefully mean the owner of the injured animal is found quickly.

MY PET HAS A MICROCHIP, WHAT TO DO?

When an animal has a microchip, it is very important that the registration of the chip is up to date. Through a specialized database, the owner of the animal can be traced 24 hours a day. In the Netherlands, there are various databases where you can register a microchip.

Unfortunately, after moving, changing their phone number or purchasing an animal which has already been chipped; many people forget to update the registration. This is often not noticed until the animal goes missing. Our website has many animals on it that are chipped, but the information on the chip is no longer accurate and, therefore, the owner cannot be traced.

You can easily check whether the chip registration of your pet is still up to date. You can do this on the website www.chipnummer.nl. Here you can search for a registration in the most important Dutch databases. If all is well, you will find your own contact information or the telephone number of the database/veterinarian that manages your information.

If you don’t find a registration on this website, it is important to create one as quickly as possible.

It is sensible to choose a database that is connected to an international search engine, such as the N.D.G, Stichting Chip or PetBase. This increases the chances of people also being able to check registrations from other countries.
Unfortunately it is not always possible to immediately complete the registration at these databases; therefore, through the internet you can create a registration at for example Petlook. On this website you can register a chip in just a few minutes. Later you can create a registration with a larger database.

A foreign chip can also be registered at a Dutch database.  It doesn’t matter if a registration has already been created abroad.

If your chip is registered with one of the databases but the information is not correct, it is important to contact the database concerned as quickly as possible to provide them with the correct information.

DUTCH KENNEL CLUB ‘RAAD VAN BEHEER’:
The microchips of many pedigree dogs may only be registered at the Raad van Beheer, which is not enough if an animal goes missing. Generally, the Raad van Beheer cannot be reached 24 hours a day and its registration facility is not set up to detect missing dogs. In addition, the Raad van Beheer is restricted by the Personal Data Protection Act and therefore not allowed to provide owner information to third parties. For this reason, the Raad van Beheer advises owners to also register their pets’ microchip on a database whose purpose is to trace pet owners.