WWYD about this dog situation?

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I have a co-worker J who asks us to dogsit her sweet dauchsund from time to time. This weekend was one of those times. She told me in advance that she is looking for a home for this other dauchsund that has been roaming around her neighborhood. So we said,"sure, bring them both". Well, we are deeply smitten with this little dog and J HAS been looking for a good home for her.

 

Here is the problem: The "owners" of this new dog live next door to J and have neglected her since before J moved into this house. (The dog tried to get in while J was looking at the house and the realtor told her, "ohyeah, the old owner took care of this dog because the dog's owner just let's her run wild", so this has been an ongoing situation. We had a pretty strong storm the other night and this poor dog was, once again, roaming the streets. Various people in the neighborhood have taken care of her, fed and watered her, etc and have even approached the owners to see if the owners would give her up for adoption. The owners always say, "Oh, we will do better, we can't get rid of her, the kids would miss her". But,.....the kids barely see her since she roams the streets so much. :confused: Apparently, there is a chihuahua involved as well, but J can't get close enough to it due to it being VERY aggressive. Animal control has been called,but they won't do anything.

 

We really like this dog and she fits well with our family, but.....I kinda' feel like if we keep her then we are dog-knapping. I know J VERY WELL and she is NOT the drama type who would just fabricate this complicated story just for kicks. I feel so bad for this dog that she has just been neglected. She is covered in fleas and is VERY skittish and submissive. I wonder how she has been treated. :crying:

 

I've been watching craigslist pet ads to see if someone posts a LOST ad for her and I will check in the paper tomorrow, but they have left on trips and left her to roam the streets, so I don't know exactly when they may notice her absence.

 

I really want to do the right thing here, but I have a feeling if I were to go up to the owners house and say, "I'd like to take care of your dog" it would not end well.

 

What say the hive?

[SonshineLearner]

Crazy if you just found her? Hmmmm, just crazy. Only problem would be if say... they found out.

 

:)

[Miss Sherry]

Thats a hard one. I honestly do not know what I would do. I may call animal control and speak to the officer about the situation and ask them what their advice was. Tell them since the dog is being left to roam the streets while the people are away would it be ok for you to take in the abandoned dog or not. I would be cautious about just taking her because they may react poorly and accuse you of stealing her. However, as neglectful as they have been, they probably wouldn't care.

I wonder if it would work to have animal control pick up the dog and then go rescue it from them yourself.You would need to know when the dog was alone roaming the streets to do that. But I would ask animal control first to see if that were a real option. Their process may not work that way. I do not know.

Edited September 4, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Thank you. Good advice. I thought I should mention, too that J and I do not live close to each other. You could just barely say that we live in the same town as we live at opposite ends. I say that to point out that the "owners" may never see us/her, kwim?

 

I hate this situation. I mean, it's not as if I waited til they left for work, looked over my shoulder, hopped the fence and nabbed a dog.

 

But, still....... I wish I could just come out and say,"the dog is not being taken care of. We will do it." Part of me says that they shouldn't even have a say in it, kwim? That they gave up that right when they repeatedly left her/neglected her, even after being confronted about it.

 

Even though this is a frustrating situation it helps that I am typing from my current location: between two sweetly snoozing pups. :001_smile:

[dancer67]

If you have a local shelter, I would bring the dog there. Explain to them you have found the dog roaming the streets, and you took him in. Tell them you would like to keep him. But you also know that he must belong to someone. They could either A. Offer the dog to you right away or B. They may have a 10 day hold policy to find the owners.

 

My guess is that if the dog looks neglected, they would not try and find the owners of this dog. Not if they were smart anyways. And if they offered the dog to you, this would absolve you from any "dognapping" issues.

 

Poor baby. I am glad he is being taken care of by you.

[Murphy101]

Animal control won't do anything? They don't pick up the dog or anything?:confused:

 

Does the animal have a collar?

 

Has J told the owners point blank that animal control will be called the next time it gets out?

 

Has animal control ever picked up the dog? Here they take them and you have to pay like $75 to get it back within 3 days or they put it down. I can't imagine they would help you to get the dog. Best case is they pick up the dog, you claim it is yours first, and you pay the fees to release the dog.

 

I'd be interested in knowing the owners response to the above?

 

I guess if they don't care and it has no collar or vet records, then they have no way of proving it is their animal even if they do throw a fit about it.

 

But yeah, I'd feel a bit like a dog thief too.:sad:

[3littlekeets]

To be honest, I'd take her! If they put up pictures, signs, etc., THEN, I'd call and say "I found her roaming streets and she seemed neglected and hungry." Can you identify her? Why and how did she get out? Etc.. If they seemed SINCERELY prepared to care for her, I'd give her back, but grab her next time she was out :-).

 

Use *67 to block your number, though :lol:

[HistoryMom]

I completely understand and admire your desire to be upfront about it, but the laws have left a loophole through which this poor puppy has fallen. Because the owners won't willingly give the dog up, and animal control hasn't found them to be neglectful, there's no way to help the poor thing through the usual channels. Just to look at it with the cold eye of the law for a moment, if you found a piece of furniture on the street and it was obviously allowed to be there by the owners, you would be legally permitted to take ownership. In this case, I would treat the puppy like an abandoned animal, which it is in practice, if not according to animal abuse laws.

 

But in a broader sense, ethically speaking, I think the greater good is served by quietly taking the dog in. Consider it your random act of kindness for the day. :)

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Thank you. She has a collar NOW, but only because she is wearing Trixie's (pup in avatar) puppy collar from many moons ago.

 

 

Our neighbor is a vet and I think I will have him take a look at her. (the OTC flea drops/bath havn't worked, so she needs some stronger vet stuff anyway). I looked to see if I can find a 'spay scar', but didn't find one. Although, if she were intact you'd think she would have become 'with puppies' numerous times considering that she has been living on the streets so much. :glare:

 

So, I'm guessing that she must be fixed, but we only take her out on a leash and will have her spayed ASAP. I don't want to find out the hard way that I was wrong.

 

 

I think that maybe I really shouldn't be worrying about this so much. If they had taken care of her this wouldn't be an issue as she wouldn't have even BEEN at my house in the first place. I'm not going to call Animal Control since they havn't done anything about it up to this point anyway. Honestly, they would probably just say, "good, someone is taking care of her now!"

 

DH was adamant that we not go in search of a dog and that, if we were to love again,.....dog-wise,....that our dog was just to 'come to us'. We both feel kinda' shell-shocked from the loss of Trixie two months ago. :(

 

This sweet puppaluh even has a name that a very popular song used as it's title many years ago and that song has been playing OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN in my head. Is that a sign? :lol:

[Lolly]

You have my permission to keep the dog.:D

[Perry]

nm. I misunderstood .

Edited September 4, 2010 by Perry

[kalanamak]

You have my permission to keep the dog.:D

 

 

:iagree::iagree:She shouldn't pay the price of their idiocy. We aren't living in The Little House in the Big Woods anymore.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Thank you all. It seems silly now that I even posted this as it became more clear after the fact.

 

My youngest daughter is now sitting in the dog's bed while the two dogs are wrapped up in a blanket next to me on the sofa. If someone walked in right now.....this homeschooling family would look even more weird than we normally do! :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: added pic. I've never seen a dog lay like this. ("lie like this?") We call it Lola Splat. :001_smile:

Edited September 4, 2010 by ThatCyndiGirl

[Murphy101]

Thank you all. It seems silly now that I even posted this as it became more clear after the fact.

 

My youngest daughter is now sitting in the dog's bed while the two dogs are wrapped up in a blanket next to me on the sofa. If someone walked in right now.....this homeschooling family would look even more weird than we normally do! :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: added pic. I've never seen a dog lay like this. ("lie like this?") We call it Lola Splat. :001_smile:

 

 

My dog lays like that all the time. It is his favorite bone chewing position.

 

Lola splat - :D

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I'd keep her.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'd *want* to keep her; but since you *know* where she belongs, I think you should take her back (well, trying to keep her, but giving her if they insist).

 

BTW, I have this feeling a lot of times but usually having to do with children. I can't stand the mistreatment some of the sweetest, brightest kids put up with; but supposedly this treatment isn't bad enough for the law to do something about. I'd spoil them and enjoy them and educate them and treat them right. But in the end, I have to find their mama, console a frustrated parent, or leave them in the situation.

Edited September 4, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[Miss Sherry]

I'd *want* to keep her; but since you *know* where she belongs, I think you should take her back (well, trying to keep her, but giving her if they insist).

 

BTW, I have this feeling a lot of times but usually having to do with children. I can't stand the mistreatment some of the sweetest, brightest kids put up with; but supposedly this treatment isn't bad enough for the law to do something about. I'd spoil them and enjoy them and educate them and treat them right. But in the end, I have to find their mama, console a frustrated parent, or leave them in the situation.

I have to agree with this. I would not want to give the dog back, but I couldn't just take a dog away from the owner. Also, I think it is illegal. I would try to find a legal way to do it, such as have Animal Control pick it up when it is left to roam and see if I could get it from Animal Control. But I would not want my children to think it is OK to illegally take animals away from their owners.

I know it is very hard, and I certainly would be tempted to just keep the dog, but life is just not fair sometimes.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

The problem, though, is that Animal Control HAS been called in the past, knows the extent of neglect and can't do anything. (or won't, but I'm erring on the side of "they must be busy and this isn't top priority", kwim?)

 

What I'm weighing here is:

 

1) It feels wrong to keep her when she, technically,...has owners, but....

 

 

2) It feels even MORE wrong to put her back into that situation. It's dangerous. She's a low dog and what if she ended up dead because I returned her and they let her roam again?

 

FTR, I don't know where the owners live as J and her dh just got married and moved (into the new house). J knows where, of course, but I don't.

 

ETA: She wasn't ''illegally taken away from her owners". She was, once again, left to roam the streets for food/shelter/water. (the 'once again' was about being left once again, not ''explaining this once again''.)

[LauraGB]

Can you live with yourself if you kept the dog?

 

Because if you can, my advise is the same as below:

You have my permission to keep the dog.:D

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Can you live with yourself if you kept the dog?

 

Because if you can, my advise is the same as below:

 

 

Yeah. I think that THAT is what was my deciding factor:

What reality would be harder to live with?

[SailorMom]

Keep the dog.

You weren't silly to post this because you are a good, caring person who wants to do the right thing.

Sometimes the "rule" of law just doesn't apply. If you were to return the dog - and the dog was killed through starvation or by being hit by a car - you would be devastated.

This isn't a lost backpack or a misplaced television - this is a suffering soul.

:grouphug:

[LauraGB]

Yeah. I think that THAT is what was my deciding factor:

What reality would be harder to live with?

 

Well, you don't personally know the owners or where they live, correct? You could do your part by putting an ad in the Lost/Found section of the paper, maybe also on the bulletin boards at the pet store. Let 2 weeks go by and if the owners don't call you, well, then I guess you just rescued yourself a dog. (then go back and remove any posters you put up) Personally, I think I could live with that.

 

I wouldn't suggest that if she was a runner and her owners occasionally lost her, but tried hard to find her. But from what you are describing (who goes on vacation while their dog roams the streets?!), it sounds like she lives in a sad place and even she doesn't like to be there.

[Miss Sherry]

The problem, though, is that Animal Control HAS been called in the past, knows the extent of neglect and can't do anything. (or won't, but I'm erring on the side of "they must be busy and this isn't top priority", kwim?)

 

What I'm weighing here is:

 

1) It feels wrong to keep her when she, technically,...has owners, but....

 

 

2) It feels even MORE wrong to put her back into that situation. It's dangerous. She's a low dog and what if she ended up dead because I returned her and they let her roam again?

 

FTR, I don't know where the owners live as J and her dh just got married and moved (into the new house). J knows where, of course, but I don't.

 

ETA: She wasn't ''illegally taken away from her owners". She was, once again, left to roam the streets for food/shelter/water. (the 'once again' was about being left once again, not ''explaining this once again''.)

 

I am not sure about saying the dog was not illegally taken from the owners. I think taking a dog, even if it is roaming, with the intention of keeping it away from the owners in order to keep it and not turn it into animal control is legally stealing the dog. But maybe that is not really even a law ?

But I do understand you caring about the sweet little dog.

I just could not do this with a clear conscience. I would always feel the dog wasn't rightfully mine because I would consider it to have been stolen. I think if you asked the owners they would feel their dog had been stolen, even though the are neglectful.

I would not feel the same way about an animal that wondered into my yard and I was unable to find the owner. I would not feel I stole the animal if I kept it, but I would make an attempt to find the owner.

This is certainly not a good position for you or this dog to be in.

I do think you have the best intentions for the animal and just cannot bear the idea of this little animal being neglected.

[Miss Sherry]

Well, you don't personally know the owners or where they live, correct? You could do your part by putting an ad in the Lost/Found section of the paper, maybe also on the bulletin boards at the pet store. Let 2 weeks go by and if the owners don't call you, well, then I guess you just rescued yourself a dog. (then go back and remove any posters you put up) Personally, I think I could live with that.

 

I wouldn't suggest that if she was a runner and her owners occasionally lost her, but tried hard to find her. But from what you are describing (who goes on vacation while their dog roams the streets?!), it sounds like she lives in a sad place and even she doesn't like to be there.

 

Actually she does know how to get in contact with the owners. By asking the person who brought the dog over what their address is.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Actually she does know how to get in contact with the owners. By asking the person who brought the dog over what their address is.

 

 

Yes, this is true. J knows and will be back in town later this week. (The difference here is that J LEFT HER DOG WITH A TRUSTED FRIEND when she went out of town instead of leaving the dog in the neighborhood.)

 

I didn't mean to make it sound like I had no idea how to find the owner, just that I can't/won't go over there this weekend. I need some thinking time and she (dog) needs some eating/sleeping/having shelter/getting her fleas taken care of time.

[Heatherwith4]

Keep the dog.

You weren't silly to post this because you are a good, caring person who wants to do the right thing.

Sometimes the "rule" of law just doesn't apply. If you were to return the dog - and the dog was killed through starvation or by being hit by a car - you would be devastated.

This isn't a lost backpack or a misplaced television - this is a suffering soul.

:grouphug:

 

:iagree: Bless you for getting the sweet doggie out of this bad situation.

[Miss Sherry]

Keep the dog.

You weren't silly to post this because you are a good, caring person who wants to do the right thing.

Sometimes the "rule" of law just doesn't apply. If you were to return the dog - and the dog was killed through starvation or by being hit by a car - you would be devastated.

This isn't a lost backpack or a misplaced television - this is a suffering soul.

:grouphug:

 

I do understand where you are coming from. Thinking of the dogs well being and and of course how much the new family will enjoy the dog. I just can't seem to get past the whole idea of respecting other peoples right to own animals etc. even if I do think they are goof balls and neglectful and feeling like I am stealing from someone.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I do understand where you are coming from. Thinking of the dogs well being and and of course how much the new family will enjoy the dog. I just can't seem to get past the whole idea of respecting other peoples right to own animals etc. even if I do think they are goof balls and neglectful and feeling like I am stealing from someone.

 

 

And I hear you and I don't necessarily disagree with you. (hence this thread) I just looked up the website for Animal Control. They won't be open again until Tuesday.

 

I do appreciate the fact that you are being kind and not calling me some horrible animal thief. This IS the part I am wrestling with. I mean, what if someone said,"I think that they are homeschooling all wrong/using the wrong curriculum,etc. I need to take the kids!" And yes, I do think that that scenario is a real stretch, but......to put it in that particular vernacular, this would be more like "they are not allowing their kids to eat and the 3 year old is roaming the street in a dirty diaper and was left out in the rain"....at least in THAT scenario Child Welfare would step in. (I wonder if Animal Control wasn't willing to get involved because the people calling WERE taking care of the dog. Some of the calls to Child Welfare, unfortunately, would be relegated to the "yes, it's a horrible situation, but it sounds as if someone is taking care of it". It must seem terrible to say that/read it, but.....the workload was just amazing and we really had to prioritize the most risky/critical cases.) <---and that is probably why I am wrestling with this so much. It reminds me of when I used to go into people's homes and pick up their kids for neglect/abuse.

Edited September 5, 2010 by ThatCyndiGirl

[kokotg]

I just can't seem to get past the whole idea of respecting other peoples right to own animals etc. even if I do think they are goof balls and neglectful and feeling like I am stealing from someone.

 

People have the right to own animals; they don't have the right to abuse or neglect them. All states have laws against animal cruelty, and most places have leash laws for dogs, too.

 

I'd consider it the moral equivalent of a citizen's arrest.

[Catwoman]

Have you spoken with the vet about it? He/she might give you some good advice -- and can also check to see if the dog is microchipped.

 

If you've already had the dog for several days and the owners aren't frantically posting photos and flyers all over the neighborhood, and haven't reported a missing dog to local shelters or placed ads in the newspaper, maybe they're secretly relieved that she's gone.

 

I don't know what you should do, as I'm concerned about the possible legal ramifications; otherwise, I would absolutely say to keep the dog. Are you legally obligated to try to find the dog's owner?

 

I'd hate to see you get really attached to the dog, only to have the owners want her back a year from now.

 

Cat

[Pamela H in Texas]

1) It feels wrong to keep her when she, technically,...has owners, but....

or

I'd consider it the moral equivalent of a citizen's arrest.

 

One night, when I was at a meeting, a lady went to my house and dropped off her three children. She admitted she needed help. CPS was on her case, but hadn't taken them. Whatever the situation was that night, she decided to leave her children with us temporarily. We kept them.

 

:::skipping all the stuff we had to go through to help these dear children:::

 

One afternoon, she called me and said she wanted to pick the kids up for an overnight. I so didn't want to let them go and made excuses. In the end, she was their mother though and I had to let them go. I had THE worse feeling that night putting them in her car. I went inside and cried to my husband.

 

The next morning, we got a call from the CPS worker. The baby had been thrown up against the wall (they had thrown her at the couch but missed). The middle kid had been left screaming in the crib. The oldest (2yrs old, btw), had been drug by her hair and thrown into a closet and left there. There is plenty more to the story, as I'm sure you can imagine.

 

CPS wanted to know if we wanted the two oldest (the aunt wanted the baby but not the older kids). Of course we took them! And so on....

 

CPS had been working with this family since the oldest was an infant and had fallen off the top of a car. The family and neighbors (including myself) had spoken with CPS so many times it wasn't funny. But their hands were tied. Every time they went to the house there was food (though she wouldn't give it to the kids so they wouldn't go through diapers), the house was spotless, and she was polite and well spoken. Again, the list goes on.

 

Anyway, no one wants any person or animal back in a bad situation; but we can't take the law into our own hands. It is wrong, illegal, and not the message we want to send to our children.

 

There have been a few times when I have been THE one in a child's life to show such love and kindness. And every single time, I've had to give them back to a bad situation (the degree of "bad" varies and only a couple times has it been CPS bad). I hate it. But I can't just take other people's children because I could provide better for them without neglect or abuse. Just how it is.

 

I realize a dog isn't a person. But the law is similar in this situation. You can't decide someone isn't taking good enough care of their '67 Mustang or their dog or their child and just keep it because you find it unattended.

Edited September 5, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Have you spoken with the vet about it? He/she might give you some good advice -- and can also check to see if the dog is microchipped. I didn't want to bother him today since it's a holiday weekend, but I will call him on Tuesday.

 

If you've already had the dog for several days and the owners aren't frantically posting photos and flyers all over the neighborhood, and haven't reported a missing dog to local shelters or placed ads in the newspaper, maybe they're secretly relieved that she's gone. We've only had her since last night, but I've been checking craigslist. When I texted J and told her that I would look for Missing Dog posts she wrote back, "I would be SHOCKED if they even noticed she's gone."

 

I don't know what you should do, as I'm concerned about the possible legal ramifications; otherwise, I would absolutely say to keep the dog. Are you legally obligated to try to find the dog's owner? I don't know, but I will check on this, too.

I'd hate to see you get really attached to the dog, only to have the owners want her back a year from now. Yes, this is a concern of mine, too. I'm rather tender-hearted and I get choked up just looking at her and imagining what has happened to her. (If you could see the way she cowers.....it's just so sad!)

 

Cat

 

 

Thanks.

[Whereneverever]

or

 

 

One night, when I was at a meeting, a lady went to my house and dropped off her three children. She admitted she needed help. CPS was on her case, but hadn't taken them. Whatever the situation was that night, she decided to leave her children with us temporarily. We kept them.

 

:::skipping all the stuff we had to go through to help these dear children:::

 

One afternoon, she called me and said she wanted to pick the kids up for an overnight. I so didn't want to let them go and made excuses. In the end, she was their mother though and I had to let them go. I had THE worse feeling that night putting them in her car. I went inside and cried to my husband.

 

The next morning, we got a call from the CPS worker. The baby had been thrown up against the wall (they had thrown her at the couch but missed). The middle kid had been left screaming in the crib. The oldest (2yrs old, btw), had been drug by her hair and thrown into a closet and left there. There is plenty more to the story, as I'm sure you can imagine.

 

CPS wanted to know if we wanted the two oldest (the aunt wanted the baby but not the older kids). Of course we took them! And so on....

 

CPS had been working with this family since the oldest was an infant and had fallen off the top of a car. The family and neighbors (including myself) had spoken with CPS so many times it wasn't funny. But their hands were tied. Every time they went to the house there was food (though she wouldn't give it to the kids so they wouldn't go through diapers), the house was spotless, and she was polite and well spoken. Again, the list goes on.

 

Anyway, no one wants any person or animal back in a bad situation; but we can't take the law into our own hands. It is wrong, illegal, and not the message we want to send to our children.

 

There have been a few times when I have been THE one in a child's life to show such love and kindness. And every single time, I've had to give them back to a bad situation (the degree of "bad" varies and only a couple times has it been CPS bad). I hate it. But I can't just take other people's children because I could provide better for them without neglect or abuse. Just how it is.

 

I realize a dog isn't a person. But the law is similar in this situation. You can't decide someone isn't taking good enough care of their '67 Mustang or their dog or their child and just keep it because you find it unattended.

:grouphug: Bless you, Pamela. Wow.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Where's hornblower when we need her? Is there some sort of dog symbol we could employ?

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Where's hornblower when we need her? Is there some sort of dog symbol we could employ?

 

[orangearrow]

We were told (by our local animal control) that if you find a dog you do the following:

 

1) Make an actual attempt to find the owner. They specifically said you could a) put an ad in the paper (found: Brown female dog: call to ID), post on their bulletin board (same text as above).

 

2) If, after 14 days, if the owner has not contacted you - then the dog is yours to do with as you wish - whether it's keeping the dog, or turning it over to the pound, or whatever.

 

I would say, even if you technically "know" where the owners are, I would post a note at the local (to them) animal shelter and maybe even run ad in the local (to them) newspaper. Don't describe the dog in extreme detail - and let them call you.

 

IF they do call you - make a big fuss over what a super sweet, sweet dog this is and how much your family has gotten attached to her. Make a note to mention that, if they ever want to rehome her that your family would be SO happy to take her in. Really gush and goo over the doggie. Mention that you found her somewhere near where they live, while you were visiting friends.

 

This will do one of two things. Either they'll decide that, hey, they don't "need" the dog anyway and will give her to you OR they'll look at the dog with new appreciation and will take better care of her.

 

IF they do NOT call you within 2 weeks - then she's yours to keep!

 

(We have a stray who landed on our doorstep a couple of years ago. We were told the above from animal control - and posted/placed an ad and no one ever contacted us. Our dog had obviously been away from home for a while - he was a mess - and after the 14 days were up, we took him in officially as our own. It's been two years and we could not ask for a better blessing of a doggie! I do often wonder where he came from, though...)

 

 

Oh - and contact your local animal control to see if the rules are the same as where you live. :-)

Edited September 5, 2010 by orangearrow

[Joker]

Hmm...for me it would be too hard, I think. All the information you have is second hand even though it is from someone you consider trustworthy. *I* would have to be able to make that determination for myself and not through someone else before I could possibly decide to just keep the dog. Kudos to you for wanting to help though!

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Hmm...for me it would be too hard, I think. All the information you have is second hand even though it is from someone you consider trustworthy. *I* would have to be able to make that determination for myself and not through someone else before I could possibly decide to just keep the dog. Kudos to you for wanting to help though!

 

 

I have considered this which is why I made a point of telling hivers a bit about J. I do see your point, though. If it were ME reading this thread and not involved I would think that, too.

 

ETA: "where we live" and "where the dog lived" is the same town, so that part is easy, it will be the same Animal Control office.

[LauraGB]

We were told (by our local animal control) that if you find a dog you do the following:

 

1) Make an actual attempt to find the owner. They specifically said you could a) put an ad in the paper (found: Brown female dog: call to ID), post on their bulletin board (same text as above).

 

2) If, after 14 days, if the owner has not contacted you - then the dog is yours to do with as you wish - whether it's keeping the dog, or turning it over to the pound, or whatever.

 

 

LOL! I thought I made that up just to make myself feel better, were I ThatCyndiGirl, when I kept the dog :lol:. I had no idea it was accurate!

[ThatCyndiGirl]

 

:lol: I had a picture in my head and THIS IS IT!! Now point that graphic to the sky and let's see if we can't get her on over here!

[flyingmommy]

The thing that worries me is....if the dog is returned to them, next time they go on vacation, they might not let her roam. Instead, they might leave her locked in a house with no food, water, or air and no one designated to care for her. If it were my dog, I'd want her back, but then....we take ridiculously good care of our dogs and they totally own our family. :) If I knew for a fact that these people were letting this dog roam the streets with no collar, no care, no concern....I hope I could squish my conscience enough to keep her. :) I've seen dogs that cower the way you describe and it breaks my heart to think of any dog feeling that way. One of our dogs is a dachshund, and she is the best dog anyone could ever want.

 

Good luck!

 

J

[kitten18]

Keep the dog.

[celticmom]

Another fair option would be to take care of any and all medical/infestation issues(fleas, intestinal parasites, ect.) and keep track of expenses. If her owners want her back they can pay for the expenses incurred as a result of neglect. That may sound a bit harsh but if they do not care enough about the dog to spend the money to take care of her they do not need a dog.

 

There was a cat in another neighborhood we lived in that had been chased up a tree and a group of neighbor kids were trying to knock the poor thing down with a football. My Dh chased the kids away and came and told me. I ended up climbing an extension ladder to rescue a very upset cat. We kept her for that night and the next day she showed no inclination to go home and gave no indication of knowing where her home was. We kept her for about a month or so and there were no signs or any other indications that anyone was missing a cat. None of our immediate neighbors knew where she had come from. We eventually took her to vet and had vaccinations and spaying taken care of. Months later someone from a few blocks over (but inthe same neighborhood, if there had been signs we would have seen them) showed up and said that she was theirs. The other woman was holding her while talking to us. The cat bit her on the arm hard enough to make her let go. Then the cat ran into our house. The cat had made her decision very clear. Between that and the fact that she had been fixed and my dh had expressed an interest in some expense sharing in that department the cat's previous owner suddenly lost interest in her.

 

I don't feel bad about keeping the cat at all.