Secure the scene before you secure the animal
Do not step into traffic or corner a frightened animal. If the dog or cat is approachable, move slowly and use food, a leash, carrier or barrier when available. An injured animal may bite or scratch because of pain even if normally friendly.
If you cannot handle the animal safely, contact local animal-welfare or veterinary resources rather than escalating the chase.
Look for visible identification and scan for a microchip
Check for a collar tag without putting your face close to an unfamiliar animal. A veterinary clinic or qualified animal-welfare contact may be able to scan for a microchip. Uruguay’s RENAC system is designed around registered companion-animal identification, making a chip an important reunification route.
Do not publish the complete chip number publicly. Use identifying details to verify a person claiming ownership.
Keep found animals separated from your pets initially
Disease status and behavior history may be unknown. Use a separate room, crate, secure yard section or carrier as appropriate. Separate food and water bowls and avoid immediate nose-to-nose introductions.
For an animal that is injured, extremely thin, struggling to breathe, unable to stand or showing another urgent problem, veterinary care takes priority over social-media posting.
Post useful information without giving away every detail
Share a clear photograph, approximate location and date found. Hold back one or two identifying details—such as a distinctive collar feature—so a claimant can demonstrate knowledge of the animal. Ask for photographs or veterinary records when ownership is uncertain.
Check neighborhood groups, nearby veterinary clinics and lost-pet postings. A roaming animal may belong much closer than expected.
If no keeper is found, move from “found” to a documented plan
If you will foster temporarily, record expenses, veterinary findings, chip scans and outreach attempts. If adoption becomes necessary, use a responsible screening and handoff process rather than giving the animal to the first person who replies.
Uruguay’s welfare framework prohibits abandonment and places duties of care on animal keepers. The safest long-term outcome is one in which responsibility is explicit and documented.
Verify a claimant before handing the animal over
Most reunifications are straightforward, but a few details can protect the animal. Ask the claimant to describe a distinctive marking, collar, sex, approximate age or another feature that was not fully shown in the public post. Request older photographs or veterinary records when practical.
If a microchip identifies a registered keeper, follow the appropriate verification process rather than publishing personal data online.
Set boundaries if you become a temporary foster
Decide how long you can safely keep the animal and what costs you can manage. Tell anyone helping with outreach what the deadline is. An open-ended emergency foster can become unsustainable quickly, especially if the found animal cannot mix with resident pets.
Keep receipts and veterinary records. If a rescue group later takes over the case, organized information makes the transition easier.
Use location intelligently in lost-pet outreach
Start close to where the animal was found. Dogs may travel, but many lost animals are still within a relatively small area. Check local groups, veterinary clinics, nearby businesses and neighborhood contacts before assuming the animal came from another department.
For cats, remember that frightened individuals may hide silently close to home. A cat found outdoors is not automatically abandoned, so reunification efforts remain important even when the animal has no visible collar.