Found a dog or cat? Scan the chip, check it here

Updated: Oct. 18, 2026 · Kynologic Sp. z o.o.

A dog trotting along the road on its own, a cat under your car for two days. Someone is looking for them. The shortest way home runs through the microchip: have the number scanned, type it into the box above. Here is the whole process, step by step.

Found a dog? What to do first

Keep the animal safe. Approach slowly, do not chase. Offer water, speak quietly. If the dog is frightened or growling, do not grab it — call for help or wait until it comes to you. A lead, a rope, an open carrier or a closed garden keeps it off the road.
Do not assume it is a stray. A groomed coat, a collar, trimmed nails or simply trust in people say this dog has a home. A dirty, thin dog can belong to someone too — after a few days on the run every animal looks abandoned.
Have the microchip scanned — it is free. You cannot see a chip; it needs a reader. Vets, shelters, dog wardens and animal control have one, and many police stations do too. Scanning takes seconds and costs nothing. Ask for the full number in writing — usually 15 digits, for example 985 112 004 318 207. No reading? Ask for a slow pass over the back, neck and sides — chips can migrate.
Enter the number in the lookup. The box is at the top of this page. We check our registry and partner registries. Owner details are never shown — that rule protects them and you.
Is the number in DogWorldBase? You see the animal's name and photo and a button to send an anonymous message. The owner gets it at once by e-mail and text and replies through the site; your phone number stays yours unless you share it. If the dog wears a QR tag, scan it with your phone — it leads to the same page.
Not with us? The result shows whether a partner registry holds the number — then that registry handles the contact. If it is nowhere, check the national databases we do not cover yet.
Report the find. Whatever the result, tell the nearest shelter and your dog warden or council. That is where owners call first, and it protects you if ownership is later disputed.

Found dog microchip lookup: what if the number is in no database

It happens more often than you would think: the chip was never registered, or the entry has a phone number from two moves ago. The number then leads nowhere. What you can still do:

Ask the practice that scanned the chip whether the first digits point to a manufacturer or a country — it sometimes tells you which database to phone.
Put up a notice where you found the animal and post it in local community groups and lost-and-found pet sites. Add a photo, but keep one detail back to test claimants.
Ask the vets nearby — neighbours use the closest practice, and staff remember their patients.
Run the lookup again in a day or two. An owner who has only just discovered the chip was never registered usually fixes it at once.

What if the dog has no microchip

No reading does not always mean no chip — ask for a second scan with a different reader, ideally at a shelter, which reads all chip standards. If there really is no chip, it is shelter, council and notices. If the animal ends up staying with you, have it chipped and register it right away — registration in DogWorldBase is a one-off payment, and a QR tag from the shop lets any finder reach you with nothing but a phone.

Found a dog — who to report it to, and what the law says

In many countries a found animal must be reported — usually to the council, the dog warden or a shelter the council has designated. Rules differ by country and often by town: sometimes the animal goes to a shelter, sometimes you may keep it until the owner is found. Call your council and ask about the local procedure. It is not a formality: the report starts the waiting period after which an animal may be rehomed, and it is the first place an owner rings.

Do not hand the dog over to the first person who claims it. Ask for a photo, the vaccination record or the microchip number — a real owner has at least one of the three.

Found a cat — is it the same?

Mostly, with one difference: most outdoor cats are not lost. A cat that is eating, clean and has a regular route usually lives two doors down. Watch it for a few days, ask the neighbours, fit a paper collar for a few hours with the note "Does this cat have a home? Call…". If the cat is injured, underweight, very young or clearly out of its depth outdoors, act as you would for a dog: chip scan, lookup, report. Cats are microchipped too — same lookup, same number.

Why enter the number here

One box, one answer: whether the number is registered, and where — no account needed. Chip numbers, digits and costs are explained in the FAQ; the search box is also on the pet microchip lookup page. And if it is your own dog that is missing, read what to do when a dog or cat is lost.