i've resued a dog from death by adopting it from the pound, but i think i founds it owners,, can i keep it?

Question

If it wasn't for me the pour dog would have been put down, like 10 minutes later, it was in the pound for over 7 days, with no luck of finding it's real owners. As well it was covered in so much crap you couldn't even tell what it was. But i heard on the radio, people looking for a similair dog, but i don't want to give it back,, what should i do? please help

well thanks everyone for all of your wonderful answers, i've asked so many people what to do, now i feel confident enough in being able to keep the dog without feeling guilty. And for those of you who may disagree i've honestly tried to phone that number and there is no answer. so I'm sorry for them, but they need to keep an eye on there dog, i live in a small town of only 9000 people, including one of the largest reserves in the north. (i'm not from it) and i see so many dogs running around. I live out in the country on a farm with 3 other dogs, and my new dog Ms, Mugszie loves it out there!!.. thanks again

well thanks everyone for all of your wonderful answers, i've asked so many people what to do, now i feel confident enough in being able to keep the dog without feeling guilty. And for those of you who may disagree i've honestly tried to phone that number and there is no answer. so I'm sorry for them, but they need to keep an eye on there dog, i live in a small town of only 9000 people, including one of the largest reserves in the north. (i'm not from it) and i see so many dogs running around. I live out in the country on a farm with 3 other dogs, and my new dog Ms, Mugszie loves it out there!!.. thanks again
you can still tell me what you think though. I'm totally open to hear it.

Answer 1

keep it. you are now the rightful owner of this pet. if he/she was left in the pound for 7 days and in the condition you stated, then you need to take it and give it a wonderful home and a wonderful life because it doesn't sound like this pet had that before. If they were really looking for him/her they should have thought about going to the pound.

Answer 2

Quite the dilemma. If someone is paying or making the effort to say something about their lost dog over the radio they must care about it. The stuff it was covered in may have more to do with what happened since it was out than what the owners were about.
You legally adopted the dog and it is yours. If you wanted to, you could contact the people and have them look at the dog to see if it was theirs and then according to your reaction about them do what you believe is best for the dog.
You can show them the dog at a neutral setting and don't give them your full name or address. Also, have friends with you. It could also NOT be the dog that they lost. How the dog reacts to them would say a lot.
If it was their dog and you feel it would best benefit the dog to go back to them, ask them to reimburse you for the costs you have put out towards the dog including adoption fee you paid if they don't offer you something, because that would just be the decent thing to do as far as the former owners go. In fact, if they didn't offer it up front after you tell them about having rescued it from the shelter, then you may want to consider whether the dog would be better off with them.

Answer 3

That is a tough one, without knowing what the previous owners were like. For example, they may have been away and a friend was looking after their dog, so they may not have been able to look for it until just now. If that's the case, both they and the dog would be heartbroken if you didn't return him.

Also, sometimes it doesn't take long for a dog to look really bad. We once groomed a samoyed, then his owner went away for the weekend and left him with a friend. Well, the dog got out and was picked up by the humane society, but by the time the HS got him he was so filthy and matted with burrs that they shaved him down! And he had been professionally groomed only days before, costing the owner $125......

I think you need to at least check out these people, and if they seem like decent owners then you should return the dog. That would be morally right. However legally I do not believe you have to return it because you have legally adopted it from the pound.

Answer 4

You should at least find out the situation. How do you know it didnt escape from a kennel or pet sitters care and not the owners? Even if it did get away from the owners, it doesnt mean they werent looking for it. Shelters wont always notify owners if there pet has come in, say if you call one day and ask if they have seen him and he doesnt come in till 2 days later, the staff may have forgotten anyone called looking for that type of dog. And any dog who had been out on the streets for a few days would look like crap, doesnt mean he looked that way in the owners care. I would hold the shelter responsible for that, what were they thinking letting a dog sit in filth for 7 days. I just think if the owners went thru the trouble of getting on the radio to find their dog, they must care a great deal.

Answer 5

Don't give it back. You are now the rightful legal owner of the dog. Granted I'm sure these people are good owners - there may have been an extenuating circumstance that the dog got out. Maybe a bad pet sitter, the dog wiggled through a hole in the fence, whatever the case maybe.

The point is you saved this dog and the dog is yours. You have no obligation of returning it.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Okay, this might not sound very ethical with respect to telling the truth, but here it goes:

You probably need to find out who these people are, just to lay your fears to rest - they may not be the dog's owners at all and if you talk to them you might find out that this isn't their dog, but another one.

Assuming that it is their dog, I think you need to then find out what the circumstances of the dog's being separated from its owner were; in otherwords, if the dog ran away because it was being abused, or wasn't being looked after, I think you might have ethical grounds to keep it.

If the dog was separated from its owner in unfortunate circumstances, such as a door being left open and the dog just making a break for it and if the owners seem really distressed (and seem to you to be decent people) then maybe you should consider giving it back.

This is the part you won't like: get in touch with them and tell them that you found a dog but that you're not sure if it's theirs. Tell them that it might be theirs but don't tell them where you found it or any further details about the dog. You have the upper hand here and can decide what to reveal and what not to reveal. Have them tell you more about the circumstances of the dog's disappearance so you can make up your own mind as to whether it is in the dog's best interests to be given back to the people who lost it. You'll then have to judge for yourself what to do.

Ultimately, you have to think about what you would feel happy doing and if you think that you've invested a great deal of emotion in saving this dog's life and if you think you can give it a happy life for the rest of its days over and above that which its former owners might be able to give it then you have to do what you think is right.

Answer 7

I agree that if ones dog is lost, you check the shelters first and every day there after. The people on the radio most likely have been checking the shelters, so I doubt the dog you adopted is theirs. It would make no sense to go to the trouble of contacting radio stations but not the animal shelters. Rest easy, my gut feeling is that your dog was never theirs. And bless you for rescuing a shelter dog.

Answer 8

if these people were actively looking for their dog for that 7 days, which it sounds like they were if there was a radio ad, then you should definitely give him back! he may have gotten covered in crap while running loose. my dog escaped from my house once (he busted through a screen, crazy things can happen!), and i can't imagine what i would have done if someone had found and kept him. think how you would feel if you lost your pet. and think of how happy these people will be to get their dog back! there are plenty of homeless dogs out there you could take in, do the right thing!

Answer 9

Legally you don't have to give the dog back. Since the owners were looking for actively it seems I would at least call and see if this is there dog. There may be a very upset child at that home ... wanting his best friend back. If it is meant to be yours it will be , if not then you did a very good deed and karma will reward you.

Answer 10

well i guess call them and explain you might have to give it back but if you do you will get the adoption fee back and you can save another animals life

btw i know you feel bad but its the right thing to do if they are good owners maybe you should call them and ask to see thier residence see how the dog acts around them then if he is happy there then i think you should give it back although its legally yours just make them pay you back for adoption fee so you can save another dog.

p.s I think it proves they care to put a ad on the radio that costs a bit of money