Finding an abandoned dog on the road, beside a bin or at your front door catches many people by surprise. Your heart wants you to act fast, but what you do in the first few minutes matters a great deal, both for the animal and for your own safety. These are the steps we recommend.

1. Stop, watch and protect yourself

Before you approach, take a calm look. Does the animal seem injured? Is it aggressive, frightened or listless? Is there traffic nearby? An animal in pain or afraid may bite, even if it is gentle by nature. Do not grab it suddenly and avoid abrupt movements.

Approach slowly and from the side, without staring into its eyes, and speak softly. Let the animal decide whether to come closer. If it is on a busy road, the first aim is to get it out of danger without putting yourself at risk.

2. Work out whether it really is abandoned

Not every animal on its own has been abandoned. Many have only just run off and their family is out looking. A few signs can help:

  • it wears a collar, harness or tag with a contact number;
  • it is clean and in good condition, which suggests it got lost recently;
  • it seems disoriented and is sniffing around, as if looking for the way home.

With cats, take even more care. A mother cat with kittens has rarely abandoned them: she is usually nearby looking for food. If you find very small kittens, watch from a distance for a few hours before touching them.

3. Keep it safe and comfortable

If the animal lets you approach, you can secure it with a lead or an improvised rope and take it somewhere calm and enclosed, away from the road and from other animals. On cold or rainy days, a blanket and a sheltered spot make a big difference.

Offer a small amount of fresh water. As for food, give a little and keep it simple, and never give medication or try to treat wounds yourself. If the animal looks injured, ill or very thin, take it to a vet as soon as you can. The vet decides what needs doing and which treatment is required.

4. Look for its family

Before thinking about adoption, it is worth trying to find whoever lost it:

  • ask a vet to check for a microchip;
  • take good photographs and share them on social media and in local lost-pet groups;
  • ask neighbours and local shops;
  • put up posters where you found the animal.

Many reunions happen in the first few days, so do not delay spreading the word.

5. Avoid ideas that seem good but cause problems

Some well-meant reactions end up doing harm:

  • Taking the animal home without thinking if you already have pets. A newcomer may carry parasites or illness and must be kept apart until a vet has seen it.
  • Letting it go "to see if it comes back" when it is in a dangerous area.
  • Feeding it too much at the start. An animal that has gone days without food should return to normal meals gradually.
  • Giving it a name and promising yourself it is staying before you know whether it has a family. Getting attached is natural, but it helps to keep a cool head.

6. Ask for help from people who know

Looking after a found animal takes time, space and money, and not all of us can take that on alone. Talk to animal protection groups and associations in your area, to your vet and to people who could offer a temporary home. The sooner you ask for help, the more options there are.

You can also contact us. Places in sanctuaries and associations are limited and every situation is different, so the team assesses each case and tells you what is possible and what alternatives exist. Use our contacts page.

What happens next?

If nobody turns up and you decide to keep the animal, the path is the same as for any adoption: think about the time, the home and the costs of a whole lifetime. We wrote about this in Adopting responsibly. To understand what happens to an animal after it reaches a shelter, read From rescue to adoption.

How you can help

Not everyone can take in an animal, but everyone can do something for those without a home: