You have just spotted a dog alone in the street, beside a road or near your home. Start by watching the situation without running towards the animal. A dog found alone has not necessarily been abandoned. It may have escaped only a few minutes ago, and its family may already be searching nearby.
In short: make the area safe if you can do so without taking risks, check whether the dog has a collar or visible tattoo, then contact a vet, the local town hall, municipal police or the municipal pound so its microchip can be scanned. If you know its identification number, report the dog as found to I-CAD. Write down the exact place and time of the sighting.
1. Keep everyone safe
Before looking for a phone number or taking a photograph, assess the dog's behaviour and the immediate surroundings.
If the dog is calm and approaches you, speak softly and avoid sudden movements.
Do not corner, chase or try to grab a dog that growls, shows its teeth or keeps trying to escape.
Keep children and your own animals away, even if the dog appears friendly.
If the dog is in traffic or presents an immediate danger, call the town hall, municipal police or gendarmerie. Do not step into the road to catch it.
If the dog is injured, quickly ask the town hall or a vet how its care and transport should be organised.
If you can approach without danger, a lead, long line or enclosed space may prevent the dog from running away again. Never use force that could hurt or frighten the animal.
2. Record the place, time and distinguishing features
This information remains useful even if the dog leaves before you can keep it safe. Write down:
the exact location and the direction in which the dog is moving;
the time of the first and most recent sighting;
its approximate size, coat, apparent sex and distinguishing features;
whether it is wearing a collar, harness or tag;
its behaviour, for example calm, frightened, injured or impossible to approach.
Take a clear photograph if it is safe to do so. It will help people compare the dog with missing pet reports and share an accurate alert without forcing you to approach a frightened animal.
3. Check the dog's identification
Look at the collar and tag first. A telephone number may allow you to contact the family within minutes. Without restraining the dog, you can also check whether a tattoo is visible inside an ear or on the inner thigh.
The absence of a visible tattoo does not mean the dog is not identified. A microchip sits under the skin and requires a suitable scanner. A municipal pound, equipped town hall, vet or animal shelter can check it. I-CAD advises contacting one of these professionals when there is no visible identification.
Identification provides the official link between a dog and its registered keeper. The French Ministry of Agriculture explains that identification is compulsory and helps professionals contact the animal's family.
4. Report the found dog and contact the local authority
If the microchip or tattoo number is known, you can register the dog as found with I-CAD. Your contact details can then be passed to the registered keeper without their personal information being disclosed directly to you.
You should also contact the town hall of the municipality where you found the dog, or the municipal police if they manage stray animal reports locally. They will identify the responsible pound and explain the local procedure. In France, municipalities are responsible for arranging the care of stray dogs and cats. The French Rural Code sets out the rules for collecting animals and holding them in a municipal pound.
Who to call, and in what order
Each contact plays a different role. Calling them in this order stops you going round in circles.
The town hall of the municipality where the dog was found, or the municipal police where they handle stray animals. They designate the pound responsible for that area, and they are the starting point of the whole procedure.
The pound they name, to find out how capture, transport and admission work there. These arrangements vary between municipalities, so do not assume them.
A local vet, who can scan the microchip even if they do not take the animal in. This is often the fastest way to obtain an identification number.
Local shelters and associations, who often know about searches under way in the area and take calls from families.
I-CAD, as soon as the identification number is known, to register the found-animal declaration.
Have this information ready before you call. It saves everyone time and spares you three follow-up calls.
the municipality and the exact address where you found the dog;
the date and time;
size, coat, apparent sex and distinguishing features;
whether there is a collar, harness, tag or tattoo;
the behaviour you observed and the animal's apparent condition;
where the dog is at the time of the call, and who is watching it.
Outside opening hours, ask your municipality which service takes over. Arrangements vary: some rely on the municipal police, others on a pound contractor available on call. Even if nobody can take the animal straight away, report its presence and where it is.
A pound is not the same as an animal shelter. It provides the regulated care of stray animals, checks their identification and looks for their registered keeper. According to I-CAD, the keeper has eight clear working days to claim an animal after it enters the pound.
5. If you keep the dog safe temporarily
Do not decide to keep the dog on your own. It must be reported and entrusted to the responsible pound under the procedure arranged by the municipality. Contact the town hall or pound first. They may ask you to keep the dog safe temporarily while collection or transfer is organised. If so:
place it in a quiet, enclosed and comfortable area;
provide clean water;
keep it separate from your animals and young children;
avoid unnecessary handling;
never give it medicine intended for a person or another animal;
tell the town hall or pound exactly where the dog is being kept.
Temporary shelter does not replace the official process or give you any right over the animal. Keeping the dog without reporting it can make the family's search harder. Follow the municipality's instructions and make the dog's location traceable immediately.
6. Share a useful local alert
A local alert supports the official process but does not replace it. Include a photograph, municipality, precise area, date, time and a way to contact you. Make the words “FOUND DOG” easy to see.
Keep one distinguishing detail private so that you can check replies. Do not publish the full microchip or tattoo number. Someone claiming to be the owner should be able to provide consistent evidence, such as other photographs, veterinary records, the identification number, a mark that was not shown in the alert or details matching the I-CAD record.
You can also report a found animal in the Animou app to alert people close to the sighting. This local notification complements the identification check and the reports made to the town hall and pound.
If you regularly help share animal alerts in your neighbourhood, becoming an Animou ambassador is another way to organise that local support.
7. Can you keep a dog you have found?
Not immediately. The dog may have a family even if it has no collar or visible tattoo. A professional must check for a microchip, and the animal must be reported to the municipality and the relevant organisations.
If nobody claims the dog, its future is decided through the legal pound process and after the statutory holding period. The person who found it cannot simply decide that it has been abandoned or arrange an adoption independently. If you would like to offer the dog a home later, tell the organisation caring for it without bypassing the search for its owner.
8. When someone claims the dog
Do not hand over the animal simply because someone knows its name or thinks it looks familiar. Compare the available information and, whenever possible, arrange the reunion through the professional or organisation that scanned the microchip.
Before meeting, ask for consistent evidence and choose a safe location. Once the owner is confirmed, explain where and under what circumstances the dog was found. If it was reported missing to I-CAD or another service, remind the owner to close the alert.
If your own dog has escaped, follow our detailed guide on what to do during the first 24 hours after your dog runs away. If you have found a cat rather than a dog, the reflexes differ on several points: see found or stray cat: what to do.
Frequently asked questions
Who should I call when I find a stray dog in France?
Call the town hall or municipal police in the municipality where you found the dog. They will direct you to the responsible pound. A vet, shelter or pound can also scan the dog for a microchip.
Who can I call on a Sunday or at night?
Ask your municipality which service takes over outside opening hours. Depending on the area this may be the municipal police, the gendarmerie or a pound contractor available on call. If nobody can intervene straight away, still report the animal's presence and location so that the report exists.
Can a vet find the dog's owner?
A vet can scan the microchip and check the identification. The registered keeper's contact details are protected, so contact is made through authorised professionals and the I-CAD database.
Can a vet refuse to scan the microchip?
Scanning a microchip is quick, but a practice in the middle of consultations may ask you to come back or send you elsewhere. Call before travelling, explain that this is a found animal, and try another practice or the pound if the first one cannot see you.
Should I take the dog to the pound myself?
Ask the town hall or pound for instructions first. Capture, transport and admission arrangements vary between municipalities. Do not transport a dog that is aggressive, panicking or seriously injured without suitable advice.
How long will a found dog stay in the pound?
The registered keeper has eight clear working days to recover the dog after it enters the pound. After that period, the responsible organisation decides what happens next within the applicable legal framework.
How can I tell whether a found dog has been abandoned?
You cannot assume abandonment because a dog is alone, dirty or not wearing a collar. Its identification must be checked, the sighting must be reported and the relevant organisations must be allowed to search for its family.
