If it is safe to read the tag, scan it with your phone camera and open the link. A QRChat tag opens a browser conversation with the owner. You need internet access, but no QRChat account or app.
Do not chase, corner or put yourself at risk to reach an unfamiliar animal. If it is injured, distressed or unsafe to approach, contact a local veterinarian, animal welfare service or the appropriate local authority. A chat service does not provide emergency animal care.
1. Check what the tag opens
Read the web address shown by your phone before opening it. For a QRChat code, the destination is on qrchat.eu. You do not need to enter payment details or provide an identity document to send a finder message.
Read the welcome message. It may name the pet or explain how to contact the owner. If the tag instead shows a phone number or another service, follow the appropriate contact route on that tag.
2. Send a useful first message
Tell the owner which animal you have seen, whether it is still with you and the time and approximate place. For example: "I am with a brown dog wearing a Milo tag near the park entrance. Are you able to reply?" This is a sample message, not a customer story.
Avoid posting your home address or personal documents. With Individual chat mode, your conversation is separate from other finders' conversations. The owner may need time to notice the message; notification settings and connectivity affect response time.
3. Share a location only when useful
If you are with the animal and comfortable sharing your current position, use the location button in the chat. Review and confirm the action. The browser may ask for location permission; after a position is obtained, one point is sent to the conversation.
The point describes your device's position at that time. It is not a live location feed and does not track the animal after it moves. If you prefer, describe a landmark or send a map link. Say clearly if you have already left the place where you saw the animal.
4. Arrange a careful handover
Agree on a suitable meeting place and confirm that the person is the owner. Ask them to describe identifying details or show existing photographs. If there is uncertainty, ask a veterinary practice, shelter or local animal service to help with identification and the correct local procedure.
Do not send money, account passwords or verification codes to somebody claiming that these are needed to reunite the pet. Contacting an owner through a QRChat finder conversation does not require a payment.
If there is no reply or the code will not scan
Try another angle or better light without handling the animal unsafely. If a visible phone number is available, try that contact route. An unreadable, deleted or disabled QR code may not provide a working conversation.
A veterinarian or animal welfare organisation may be able to scan for a microchip and help locate the registered owner. Check the reporting procedure where you are; responsibilities differ by location. The RSPCA's found-dog guidance explains the UK route, including local dog wardens.
A cat outdoors is not necessarily lost. Cats Protection's found-cat guidance describes checking for an owner and obtaining help. Avoid assuming that an unfamiliar cat should immediately be taken away from its neighbourhood.
Prepare your own pet's tag
Owners can follow the pet collar setup guide and test the finished tag. A QR tag adds a contact route; it does not replace a registered microchip, suitable care or local identification requirements.