would you give the dog back?

Question

me and my fiance have had this dog show up at our house 3 or 4 times in the past month...well last saterday he came back and we let him come in our house at night and left him out during the day thinking maybe his owners would be looking for him same thing with sunday night...well monday i come home from work and he's sitting on my porch waiting for me so he stayed in our house again monday night....still no owners (i know where the owners live just wanted to see if they cared enough to come look for him) well tuesday while i was at work someone called the dog warden and he was taken to the pound...i informed the owners and they went and picked him up....last night he was loose again and at our front door...i let him in.....well just this evening we felt bad and took him to his owners house and knocked on their door...telling them we had their dog.....they never opened the door (they were home) so we brought him back to our house they don't seem to care.. I DO! keep him Y/N?

also he is a great well behaved dog we have fallen in love with...and if some one came knocking on my door to bring my dog back i wouldn't ignore them like i don't care

and i know where the owners live "now" i found out the day the dog warden put the ticket on my door because he was picked up on my front porch my neighbor told me where his owners live

to the know it all who said i just let him run during the day...the dog was tied up with food and water in the front yard with a dog shelter...and i already have 2 dogs who are well taken care of

Answer 1

Have you considered asking them if they even want the dog? You could make them a monetary offer. In my opinion, if they really cared for and wanted the dog, they would be looking for him right away. They would take precautions if the dog is an escape artist. Anyone who truly wanted their pet wouldn't let it get loose so many times without looking for it.

I would keep him until they came looking for him. If after a month or so they haven't put up fliers or ads for their missing dog, then CONGRATS! ☺

Answer 2

This is a very tough situation. If you think they will say yes ask the owners if you can have the dog. But if you keep the dog without their permission and they decide they want the dog back they can sue you. Given the situation it sound ridiculous but by state laws dogs are considered property and if the owner's wanted to they could take legal action. The other way to go about it is to take him back to the pound and tell them you are willing to adopt the dog. They can work out the issues on terminating these people's ownership and you can then adopt him. Don't worry about anyone else adopting the dog. Animal control will always give the person who brought the dog in the choice of adopting before anyone else. I'm sorry their are bad owners who put such caring people in this situation.

Answer 3

Well the dog is there dog - legally you can't just take it. But it does sound like the dog a) isn't wanted there and obviously b) realizes you'd be a much better owner. This is a tough one. You could try talking to them but then they might take the attitude that the dog is "theirs" (like a shoe, chair, etc) and even if they take lousy care of it, well, too bad, it's THEIRS. Or they might surprise you and let you take it.

The fact they did go pick it up at the shelter makes me think you might get the first response - that it's "theirs" - whether they really want it or not. If they do let you take it I'd definitely try to get something in writing - and then get the dog microchipped with YOUR info so it'll prove your ownership.

Answer 4

Call the dog warden again. Then you adopt the thing. If you keep it now you could be arrested. A do is not worth that. If you really love the dog, then offer to buy it off the owners for a small fee.

Answer 5

If there's a licence on the dogs collar, & the people you know as the owners of the dog are the registered owners, then you have no rights to the dog, period.

If there's no licence on the dog, then you can turn him over to the animal shelter, & then reclaim the dog from the shelter after a certain set time under the law. Of course you need to buy a licence for the dog at that time, & then the dog is legally yours because you will have made a legal adoption.

But it all hinges on whether or not the dog is already registered or not at this time. Unfortunately there is no law that says a person needs to love the animal(s) that they own.

Answer 6

I'd keep him. Iwould call the dog warden and let him know the story and how you've tried to help the dog and even tried to take him back, but that the owners are not taking care of him. Let the warden know that you are taking the dog.
I'm sure he'll be glad to have 1 less dog at the pound.
Just a side note: I'm a huge animal lover so thank you for keeping the dog safe!

Answer 7

I would call the pound and tell them the situation and ask what the proper way to adopt an abandonded dog would be so it would then become yours and the so called owners could not come back on you. Just tell them you do not know where the owners live and the dog has been at your house for days on its own free will and will not leave.

Answer 8

It's legally their dog, but maybe if you offer to take the dog off their hands they may just give him to you..Maybe leave them a note with your phone number on it, and if they really care or want the dog back they will call.That dog is loose to much..I can understand once or twice, but they obviously dont take the right precautions in keeping the dog safe or others (what if this dog was aggressive?) If they love and miss him they will contact you..If they take the dog back and he continues to be loose Id call animal control, tell them the situation and they can go talk to these people about either keeping him from running or surrendering him...Best of luck to you, and I hope you get to keep the little guy.

Answer 9

If they don't care enough to keep him enclosed in a safe place, and don't even bother retrieving him, I'd keep him. To do so, you'd need to get the dog to the vet to claim it as yours with tags, maybe an under the skin ID implant, and registration, just to make sure the previous owner doesn't decide to get the dog back on a whim.

But I'd try asking about keeping him first. Odds are they'll either not care and let you keep him, or want money for him. You don't want to end up with a lawsuit on your hands from petty people who care more about legally owning an animal than actually taking care of it.

Answer 10

If the owners really wanted the dog then they would come and get the dog otherwise they wouldnt just let it roam around the neighborhood so keep the dog and give him a home that the owners will actually care about him.