Slow down and read the dog first
Pain changes behaviour, and a gentle dog can bite when a stranger reaches for a broken leg. Stop a few yards away, turn slightly sideways rather than looming head-on, and watch: is he alert and tracking you, panting and guarding a limb, bleeding, or lying flat and unresponsive? Crouch rather than bend over him, let him sniff the air in your direction, and offer water in a shallow container if he is conscious and calm. If he growls, snaps, or drags himself away, believe him — back off, keep other people and dogs away, and let professionals with proper equipment make the catch.
Make the scene safe before you make contact
The most common second accident is a frightened dog bolting into traffic. If it is safe for you, position yourself, a companion, or your car between the dog and the road, use hazard lights near a carriageway, and recruit a bystander to slow approaching drivers rather than to crowd the dog. A lead looped gently as a slip lead, a belt, or a scarf can control a calm dog who is willing to be approached; never corner him against a wall or fence, because a trapped, hurting animal has only one option left. Keep your own dog in the car or tied well away — even friendly interest from another dog can panic an injured stray.
Get the right help moving
Call local animal control, the nearest shelter, or an emergency veterinary clinic and describe the injuries and the exact location; many will dispatch an officer or advise the nearest clinic that accepts strays. If you are guided to move him yourself and he cannot stand, slide a coat, blanket, or board under him and lift him as a flat stretcher with help, keeping a possibly injured spine as level as you can and his head free. A towel draped loosely over his head can calm some dogs for the lift, but skip it if he is struggling to breathe or vomiting. Drive gently, secure him so braking does not throw him, and phone ahead so the clinic team can meet you.
What to record while you wait
Once he is safe or help is coming, take clear photos showing his face, body, coat markings, and any collar or tag, and note the street, landmark, and time you found him. Check, without handling him more than necessary, whether a tag carries a phone number you can call from a distance. These details become the found-dog post that reunites him, and they help a clinic or shelter match him against lost reports already filed. Keep the location of any roadside find precise — 'near the bridge' wastes the first hour of an owner's search; a dropped pin or a house number does not.
Reconnecting a found dog with his owner
Clinics and shelters will scan for a microchip, and a collar QR tag, if he wears one, can reach his profile even sooner. KinsLe Messenger keeps every conversation about a pet in one per-pet communications hub, so a finder who reaches an injured dog's profile can message the owner directly there — no searching for a phone number on a muddy tag while the dog needs care.