3 Places to Search When Your Dog Goes Missing

1 Local Pet and Dog Markets

1. The local flower-bird-fish-insect market. If your dog is lost, print a ‘lost dog’ poster right away and be sure to add a line offering a reward for its safe return. This trick works repeatedly, because a dog thief rarely dares say openly ‘I stole this dog, pay up’—that would get them in trouble with the police. So the local pet market is the best place to recover a lost dog; prioritize the larger markets, as they are the main venue for trading dogs of unclear origin.

2. Local and nearby dog markets. If your dog is a currently popular breed, and it was stolen or lost, beyond the pet market, get the exact locations of local dog markets within 24 hours. For example, if you lost a cream French Bulldog, the finder will not list such a distinctive dog for online sale, where a photo spreads too easily. Instead they either keep it quietly or resell fast, and those sales happen away from the public markets. Go to the dog markets promptly, post notices, and reach out to the sellers there.

2 Checking Surveillance Footage

3. Look for surveillance footage. Cheap consumer cameras—driven down in price by internet entrepreneurs—now cost only a few hundred yuan, and almost every shop has several; professional systems are even more common. If your dog is lost, go to the police station first.

Two points to note: it helps to bring a woman along rather than a group of men; and mind your attitude. By regulation you are entitled to view the footage, but police resources are stretched—if you lose your temper after a curt reply, you may as well go home. But if a woman calmly explains the situation, she will usually be helped to view the footage of the scene. Also ask the surrounding businesses; most will not refuse your request.

3 Mobilizing Your Network

If you have tried all three and still not found your dog, do not lose heart. Mobilize your WeChat Moments and Weibo. Stay hopeful: a lost dog generally does not end up as meat. It gets resold, usually through backyard breeders rather than professional kennels, because these days reputation matters more than anything to a reputable breeder.