Uber Released Its Lost & Found List From Last Year & It Includes An 8-Week-Old Chihuahua

It’s that time again: Uber’s Lost & Found Index for 2019 is out — and this year, topping the list of weirdest items left behind in an Uber is a chihuahua puppy. Consider this your reminder to make sure you take all your belongings with you when you exit the vehicle. Seriously. I feel so bad for that dog.

Uber first introduced the Lost & Found Index in 2017 and has released a new edition annually every year since. Typically, the index includes lists of the most commonly forgotten items, the most unique or outrageous forgotten items, and the most forgetful cities, as well as some trend analysis — which items tend to be forgotten more on specific days, etc.

While the most commonly forgotten items list rarely changes much — phones, keys, wallets, and IDs all rank year after year — the most unique or outrageous items list always has some, uh… fun surprises on it. In 2017, for example, an elf cutout (or maybe an Elf cutout — it’s not clear which), “valuable Nordic walking poles,” and a lobster (live? Dead? Who knows!) were among the items abandoned in Ubers throughout the year, while in 2018, legal documents (including both divorce papers and a marriage certificate), a box full of hair extensions, and a Nintendo 64 sadly got left behind.

2019, however, marks the first time an eight-week-old, coffee-colored chihuahua made the list. I mean, sure a couple of dog-adjacent items have popped up from time to time; a dog sweater got left in 2017, some French bulldog statues were lost in 2018, and “a black and white tuxedo for small dog” showed up this year. But those items, at least, are not actual, live dogs. I do not know whether or not the owner was ever able to claim the dog, but to be honest, if I had been that Uber driver, I would have taken it home with me and adopted it as my own.

(There’s no word on whether the dog tuxedo found this year belonged to the chihuahua, by the way. Or on whether it was part of a set along with the regular-sized tuxedo that was apparently also among the 2019 most outrageous lost and found items. Oh, don’t give me that look. I know you’re as curious about those, um, interesting coincidences as I am.)

In any event, though, while we all pray for the chihuahua’s continued health and safety, here’s a look at 10 more of this year’s weirdest lost items, in no particular order:

1. A Professional Grade Hula Hoop

Yes, professional hula hooping is a thing. I mean, it's basically a circus art, right?

2. 6 Chicken Tenders From 7 Eleven

Looks like someone had a long night.

3. A Full Set Of 18k Gold Teeth

Oh. Oh my.

4. Salmon Head

I… have a lot of questions about this one. Was it actually the head of a fish? Was it a mounted fish, like those singing bass things (which now come equipped with Amazon Alexa, by the way)? Was it a salmon mask? I must know.

5. Very Important Headband With Peacock Feathers

What was so important about that headband, I wonder?

6. A Special Pizza Costume

Similarly, what was so special about that particular pizza costume?

7. A Small Handmade Cat Puppet

So much for Mr. Punch’s attempts to become a cat person.

8. A Full Fish Tank With Fish And Water

OH MY GOD WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE FORGETTING THEIR PETS IN CARS???

9. A Harry Potter Magic Wand

Couldn’t you just accio! the thing back home, though?

10. Two Pieces Of My Ever-So-Special White Wedding Cake

Now that, my friends, is a tragedy.

Say you’ve forgotten something precious to you in your last Uber. What do you do? You’ve got a few options, depending on what you’ve lost. The first thing you can try is just calling your driver as soon as you’ve realized you left something in their car — but if you forgot something like, oh, your phone, the good news is that you can login to your account on actual computer to begin the lost and found reporting process.

Once you’ve logged in, go to “Your Trips” and select the trip during which you think you lost your item. Then select “I lost an item,” followed by “Contact driver about a lost item.” Enter the best phone number to contact you at here (a landline? A friend’s phone number, assuming they’ve granted you permission to be your lost item contact point?), and then select “Submit.” The phone connected to the number you just put in will then connect you directly with the driver, enabling you to either set up a time and place for you to meet up so you can retrieve you item, or leave a voicemail for the driver detailing the lost item and where you can be reached.

Good luck. And please keep an eye on your pets.