Have you ever found a lost dog or cat? Maybe they crossed your path on your way home, or maybe they just happened to wander into your line of sight. Are you the kind of person to keep on going ahead and ignore the animal, or do you want to help it? It's easy to stop and help, but it can be difficult to figure out what to do next after that, which is why many people don't bother to stop at all.

But if you did decide to help, what should you do? I've found quite a few lost dogs (and few cats) in the past, so from experience, these are a few things I've learned to do:

1. Take the animal out of danger

Twice recently, I've found dogs trotting along open (and often busy) roads, which is dangerous for both the animal's safety and for any driver passing through. So for yours and everyone elses' sake, the first thing you should do is get the animal out of immediate danger, whether it's beckoning the animal toward or away from the dangerous area.

2. Hydrate them

You never know how long they've been out there, and with how hot it gets in Texas, I'm sure they don't have to be out there for very long before getting overheated. So get them some water and, if you're able to, get them somewhere air conditioned so they can cool down. You can give them some food, too.

3. Scan for a microchip

Many pet owners nowadays choose to get their animals microchipped. The microchip is a small implant that can usually be found between the animal's shoulder blades, and contains information regarding the animal's owner (assuming the owner has registered them). Most veterinarians and even some pet stores, such as PetsMart, offer free microchip scanning to help locate the animal's family. If the microchip is registered, you can use the chip code provided to track down the owner and notify them of their missing animal's whereabouts.

4. Utilize social media

For many areas, there are lost and found animal pages on Facebook. Join those and post a description and a few photos of the animal to notify the community that you've found someone's pet. Always ask for proof of ownership. Sadly, many lost dogs are simply captured and resold to places that are not their original homes. So be sure that, if someone claims that the animal is theirs, they show a photograph of some sort of their pet so you know that they are actually the owner.

5. Foster the animal

If the microchip is not registered or the animal does not have a microchip at all, you may be forced to foster the animal yourself. This means providing a temporary home for them until they find a permanent one. If there are any rescues in the area, contact them first - tell them that you've found an animal and that you're available to foster it. Often times, the rescue will even pay for medical and spay/neuter expenses for the animal for your efforts. However, like myself, I realize many out there simply do not have the space to house an animal. If this is the case, keep up with social media posts and frequently share it to keep others informed. If all else fails, find someone who can foster the animal.