What to Do When You Find a Dog in India | PetzLover

Found Pet7 min read

A woman checking the collar of a stray dog she found

When you find a dog in India, first work out whether it is a lost pet or a community dog that lives there: look for a collar, a V-notched ear, people who feed it and signs that it knows the street. If it does seem lost, keep yourself safe from bites, have a vet scan it for a microchip, tell your municipal Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre and nearby welfare groups, and post a found-dog ad while you look for the owner.

India has a very large street dog population, about 1.53 crore in the 2019 Livestock Census, so most dogs you meet outdoors are not lost at all. This guide covers telling the difference, safety and rabies, who to contact, the found ad, checking a claimant and what to do if no owner comes forward.

Key points

A dog with a V-notch in its right ear has been sterilised under an ABC programme and may belong to its street; the ABC Rules 2023 return such dogs to where they were caught.
Do not grab a frightened dog. If you are bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor the same day.
Ask a vet to scan for a microchip, and ask your resident welfare association and local feeders whether they know the dog.
Post a found ad with a photo, but keep back one identifying detail to test anyone who claims the dog.
Never hand a dog to someone who asks you for money, an OTP or a 'deposit'.

Is it a lost pet or a community dog?

Signs to look for in a found dog
Sign	Suggests a lost pet	Suggests a community dog
Collar or tag	A collar, especially with a name or number	Usually none, though some feeders collar their dogs
Ear	No notch	A V-shaped notch in the right ear, the ABC mark
Breed and coat	A pedigree breed, groomed coat, used to a lead	Often an Indie, at ease outdoors
Behaviour	Anxious, looks to people, tries to follow you	Relaxed, moves around the area with purpose
People nearby	Nobody recognises the dog	Guards, shopkeepers or feeders know it, often by name

The ABC Rules 2023 call unowned dogs 'community animals' and have local bodies sterilise, vaccinate and release them at the same place or locality they were caught. A healthy community dog is not lost, and taking it away leaves it without its feeders and territory. If a community dog looks ill or injured, call your local body's ABC centre or a welfare group instead.

How do you approach a found dog safely?

Let the dog come to you. Crouch side-on, speak quietly and offer a little food; never corner it or reach over its head.
Keep children back.
Use a lead looped over the head only if the dog is calm and lets you touch it.
If it growls, keeps its distance or seems unwell, do not try to catch it: note where it goes and call a welfare group.
In summer, give water and shade first; the Animal Welfare Board of India warns that dogs are vulnerable to heatstroke and dehydration in extreme heat.

Found puppies

Pups on their own often have a mother nearby, so watch from a distance before you move them. The ABC Rules do not allow a street mother to be caught for sterilisation until her litter is two months old, and pups under eight weeks belong with her unless they are in danger. If they are, call a welfare group for advice.

Who should you contact when you find a lost dog?

Ask neighbours, guards, shopkeepers and feeders whether they know the dog.
Ask your resident welfare association: the Animal Welfare Board of India asked associations in 2025 to keep a register of community dogs with their sterilisation and vaccination records.
Take the dog to a vet to be checked and scanned for a microchip. Many dogs have none, but a chip can lead straight to the owner.
Tell your municipal corporation's ABC centre or veterinary department, in case the owner calls them.
Contact welfare groups near you, such as Blue Cross of India in Chennai, CUPA in Bengaluru, Welfare of Stray Dogs in Mumbai or Friendicoes SECA in Delhi and Gurugram.
Post a found-dog ad and share it in local resident groups.

How do you post a found dog ad?

A vet assistant scanning a shih tzu for a microchip

One or two clear photos, but keep back one detail, such as a scar or a mark, to test callers.
The area and date you found it, without your exact address.
Sex, approximate age, size and breed or type, collar or no collar, ear notch or none.
How the owner can reach you: ask them to message you first.

You can post a found dog ad for free on PetzLover. Check the found dog listings near you too, and look at lost-dog ads in your area for a match. Keep your phone number out of the ad text.

How do you verify the owner before handing the dog back?

Ask them to describe the detail you kept out of your ad.
Ask for dated photos of the dog at home and the vaccination card, and call the vet named on it.
Ask for any city licence, KCI papers, sterilisation certificate or microchip record.
Watch how the dog reacts to them and to its name.
Meet in daylight, in a public place or at a vet clinic, with a friend.

A real owner is usually relieved and has plenty of proof. Never hand the dog to someone who asks you for money, an OTP or a 'deposit', and if two people claim the dog or a claim feels wrong, ask the ABC centre or a welfare group to help before you hand it over.

What if no owner comes forward?

Keep the dog safe indoors or in foster care, keep the ad active and ask your vet about rabies vaccination and deworming. After a reasonable time you can keep the dog yourself or find it a new home. For a street dog, the Supreme Court said in August 2025 that people may apply to their municipal body to adopt street dogs, and that adopters must make sure they do not return to the streets.

Never leave the dog on a road or at a shelter gate: section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 makes it an offence to abandon an animal where it is likely to suffer. To find it a home, read how to list a dog for adoption or how to give away a dog without risk. Owners searching for their dog can read finding a lost dog through found-pet ads.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do when I find a dog in India?

First check whether it is a community dog that lives there: look for a notched ear, a collar and people who know it. If it seems lost, approach calmly, have a vet scan it for a microchip, tell the ABC centre and welfare groups, and post a found ad.

What does a V-notch in a dog's ear mean?

It is the mark the ABC Rules 2023 require on dogs sterilised under an ABC programme. The dog has probably been sterilised and vaccinated and may belong to the street where you found it.

Should I take a street dog home?

Not if it is healthy and has carers. The ABC Rules return sterilised street dogs to the place they were caught, and moving one can leave it without its feeders. If it is ill or injured, call a welfare group or your local body's ABC centre.

What if a found dog bites me?

Wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor the same day for rabies treatment. WHO says rabies is virtually 100% fatal once symptoms appear, so never wait.

How do I know a caller really owns the dog?

Ask for the detail you kept out of your ad, dated photos and the vaccination card, and call the vet named on it. Meet in a public place and never hand over the dog for money.

Can I keep a dog I found?

If no owner comes forward after you have searched and posted a found ad, you can keep it or rehome it carefully. Get it vaccinated, including against rabies, and sterilised.