AirTag Lost Mode for dogs: what to do if your dog goes missing

Your WhereWolf? holder keeps an AirTag® on your dog's collar. If your dog goes missing, Apple's Lost Mode is what lets a finder reach you. Here is how to switch it on in under a minute, and how to get ready today.

Apple designed AirTag to keep track of items, not pets. Many owners use one on a collar anyway; this page explains how to do it well and what it cannot do.

Dog missing? Turn on Lost Mode first

Do this the moment your dog is out of sight, not after an hour of searching. Until Lost Mode is on, someone who taps the AirTag sees no contact details.

On iPhone or iPad

  1. Open Find My and tap the Items tab.
  2. Tap your dog's name in the list.
  3. Scroll down to Lost AirTag and tap Enable (on some versions the button reads Show Contact Info or Lost Mode).
  4. Tap Continue, enter the phone number you will answer, or an email address, then Continue.
  5. Type a short message (template below) and check that Notify When Found is on.
  6. Tap Activate. Your dog's entry now shows Lost Mode: Enabled.

On a Mac

  1. Open Find My and click Items in the sidebar.
  2. Select your dog, click the info button, then Enable under Lost Mode and follow the same steps.

On iCloud.com, from any computer or a borrowed phone

  1. Go to icloud.com/find and sign in with the Apple Account the AirTag is registered to.
  2. Choose Items, select your dog, then Lost Mode. Enter your contact details and a message.

While Lost Mode is on

  • Watch the map: the position updates each time an iPhone passes near your dog. Tap Directions to go to the last known spot.
  • Within about 10 m, tap Find (Precision Finding, iPhone 11 or later) for an arrow and a distance, or Play Sound to hear the AirTag.
  • Share Item Location creates a link you can send to a neighbour, a shelter or the police so they can see the position on a map.
  • Once your dog is home, tap your dog, then Turn Off Lost Mode. Otherwise every future tap on the collar still shows your number.

What a finder sees

  1. The finder holds the top of their phone against the AirTag in its holder. This works on an iPhone and on Android phones with NFC.
  2. A notification appears; tapping it opens found.apple.com in the browser.
  3. With Lost Mode off, the page shows the AirTag serial number only, with no way to reach you.
  4. With Lost Mode on, the page shows your phone number or email and your message. The finder calls or texts you.

No app and no account are needed on the finder's side.

Get ready today

You need an iPhone or iPad with iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, signed in to an Apple Account, with Find My, Bluetooth and Location Services on. It takes about ten minutes, once.

Find the Find My app

  1. Swipe down on the Home Screen and type Find My in the search bar, or look in the Utilities folder.
  2. If it is missing, download it again from the App Store (free, made by Apple).
  3. Check it is switched on: Settings, your name at the top, Find My, Find My iPhone, then turn on Find My iPhone and Find My network.

Pair the AirTag before it goes on the collar

  1. Pull the plastic tab out of the AirTag. It chimes.
  2. Hold the AirTag next to your unlocked iPhone. A Connect card slides up from the bottom.
  3. Tap Connect, choose Custom Name and type your dog's name.
  4. Follow the steps to register the AirTag to your Apple Account, then tap Done.
  5. Open Find My and tap the Items tab: your dog appears on the map. Slide the AirTag into your WhereWolf? holder and the holder onto the collar.

Two settings worth turning on straight away

  • Share the AirTag with your household: Items, tap your dog, Add Person. Everyone sees your dog on their own map and can turn on Lost Mode.
  • Notify When Left Behind: Items, tap your dog, Notify When Left Behind, On. Add your home address as an exception so it does not fire at home.

No iPhone at home? An AirTag cannot be set up or followed from an Android phone.

Lost Mode message template

The message appears next to your phone number for whoever taps the collar. Keep it to two or three lines and prepare it today: save it in Notes so you can paste it in ten seconds.

EN
This is [DOG'S NAME], a lost dog. Friendly, [needs daily medication / please do not chase]. Please call or WhatsApp [NUMBER]. Thank you!

FR
Ceci est [NOM DU CHIEN], un chien perdu. Gentil, [a besoin de son traitement / ne pas lui courir après]. Merci d'appeler ou d'envoyer un WhatsApp au [NUMÉRO].

NL
Dit is [NAAM HOND], een verloren hond. Vriendelijk, [heeft dagelijks medicatie nodig / niet achterna lopen]. Bel of WhatsApp [NUMMER]. Dank u!

  • Give a number you will answer when an unknown caller rings, and turn off Silence Unknown Callers while your dog is missing.
  • Do not put your home address in the message; agree a meeting point by phone.
  • Mention what a stranger must know in the first five seconds: nervous, deaf, needs medication.

What an AirTag can and cannot do

  • It is not a GPS tracker. The map updates only when an iPhone passes within Bluetooth range of your dog. In a town that can be minutes; in fields or woods it can be hours, or not at all.
  • Lost Mode is manual. Nobody sees your contact details until you switch it on.
  • An iPhone or iPad is required to set up the AirTag and to follow it.
  • Android finders with NFC can read your Lost Mode page, but only iPhones relay the position.
  • Battery: one CR2032 coin cell, about a year. Replace it as soon as Find My shows a low-battery warning.
  • Sound: Play Sound works within Bluetooth range and is quiet on a moving dog. Useful in a house or garden, less so in a field.
  • Water: the WhereWolf? holder is not a sealed case, so for swims the AirTag's own water resistance is what counts.
  • Keep the basics: a microchip and an ID tag still matter.

Button names follow Apple's Find My app and can change between iOS versions. AirTag and Find My are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. WhereWolf? is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.