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Qu'un chien errant ait une puce aide à trouver son foyer.

Qu'un chien errant ait une puce aide à trouver son foyer.
That a stray dog has a microchip helps to find its home.
From Lesson 429:Noun clauses as subjects (Que + subjonctif)·French

Questions & Answers about Qu'un chien errant ait une puce aide à trouver son foyer.

Why is ait in the subjunctive rather than the indicative a?
The clause Qu'un chien errant ait une puce is the subject of the sentence. In French, when a sentence starts with a Que clause acting as the subject, the verb inside that clause must always be in the subjunctive.
What exactly is the subject of the main verb aide?
The entire clause Qu'un chien errant ait une puce acts as a single subject. When a full clause is the subject of a sentence, the main verb is conjugated in the third-person singular, as if the subject were il or cela.
Doesn't une puce usually mean a flea?
Yes, the literal meaning of une puce is a flea! Because of its tiny size, the word is also used for electronic chips and microchips. Context tells us that a microchip, not a flea, helps a stray dog find its home.
Why do we need the preposition à before trouver?
The verb aider requires the preposition à when it is followed by an infinitive verb (meaning to help do something). So, we must say aide à trouver.
Is errant a verb form or an adjective here?
It is originally the present participle of the verb errer (to wander), but here it functions purely as an adjective meaning stray or wandering. Because it acts as an adjective, it must agree with the masculine singular noun it modifies, un chien.

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