Found dog, what to do?

Have you found a dog? Thank you for helping it! Follow this guide step by step so that it gets back to its owners as quickly as possible: it is the result of 18 years of experience and contains every step and tip that will make a difference.
Tick the boxes as you go, this page will remember your progress.

• ✓ Get the animal to safety, somewhere sheltered, with a bowl of water. Feed it in small amounts at first. Keep the dog on a leash or in an enclosed space: a rescued dog can run away again.
  
  If it is injured or seems ill, take it to a veterinarian without delay. Also take a few photos of it, they will be useful for your ad.
• ✓ Check whether it wears a collar with a tag, an address barrel or a GPS tracker with its owner's contact details.
• ✓ Look for identification: a tattoo in the ear or on the inner thigh, or a microchip under the skin (usually around the neck). Have the tattoo or chip read for free by a veterinarian, a shelter or a pound: they can query the national database and contact the owner. You can also contact the relevant organization in the country directly:
  🇩🇿 Algeria 🇦🇩 Andorra 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇲 Cameroon 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇸🇻 El Salvador 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇫 French Guiana 🇵🇫 French Polynesia 🇩🇪 Germany 🇬🇧 Great Britain 🇬🇵 Guadeloupe 🇬🇹 Guatemala 🇭🇳 Honduras 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇹 Italy 🇯🇵 Japan 🇰🇪 Kenya 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇲🇶 Martinique 🇾🇹 Mayotte 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇲🇨 Monaco 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇨 New Caledonia 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 🇳🇬 Nigeria 🇵🇰 Pakistan 🇵🇦 Panama 🇵🇾 Paraguay 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇭 Philippines 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico 🇷🇴 Romania 🇷🇪 Réunion 🇧🇱 Saint-Barthélemy 🇲🇫 Saint-Martin 🇵🇲 Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon 🇸🇬 Singapore 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇿 Tanzania 🇺🇸 United States 🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇻🇪 Venezuela 🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna
• ✓ Check whether the owner has already posted a search notice by looking at the list of lost dogs or display all the ads for lost dogs nearby on a map.
• ✓ Post a free ad in the list of found dogs on the website » or on the mobile app. People who have lost a matching animal nearby are automatically alerted by email or notification, as are community members subscribed to alerts.
  
  Tip: if the animal has no identification, keep one distinctive feature secret (spot, scar, collar, tag...): it will let you check who the real owner is.
• ✓ Report your find to the town hall or the pound of the town where you found the animal (in many countries, including France, this is mandatory). You have two options:
  • hand the animal over to the pound, which will take care of the formalities;
  • keep it at home until its owner is found, if local regulations allow it.
  A found animal never belongs to the person who finds it, whether purebred or not: this report protects you from being accused of theft.
• ✓ Spread the word in the area where you found the animal: ask neighbors, passers-by and shopkeepers, inform nearby veterinarians and shelters, and put up a few "Found dog" flyers with a photo. Also share the link to your ad in the Facebook groups of your town and region dealing with lost/found animals.
• ✓ Before handing the animal over, check the owner's identity: ask for photos of the animal, its health record or its identification certificate, and for the distinctive feature you kept secret. Preferably meet in a public place or at a veterinarian's. Be wary of people who claim an animal without being able to describe it, and see the section "Beware of scammers!".
• ✓ If the animal needed veterinary care, keep all the bills so that its owner can reimburse you. You can also ask to be reimbursed for food, but not for boarding or pet-sitting fees.
• ✓ Once the animal is back with its owner, mention it on your ad from your personal account. Thank you for your help!