NBR- Dog dilemma

roundthree24 · February 2014

Ok please tell me we are doing the right thing!! On Wednesday evening a sweet little dog with a collar but no tags came running up to my husband while he was getting something out of his car. We love dogs (have two of our own) and after looking around for an owner we took him in. We live in a small neighborhood and just assumed it MUST belong to somebody. After doing everything we could to find his owners (fliers, checked for microchip, contacted animal shelter, craigslist, Facebook, even knocked on a ton of doors) we've had no luck, BUT we are friends with a wonderful family that would love to adopt him. They live in our old city 5 hours away and my husband just so happens to be going halfway there this weekend. So the plan is for them to meet him and take the dog then.

I feel guilty because I feel like it might be too soon to give up on his original owners, but at the same time this is a really terrible time for us to take care of a third dog (we are literally leaving town every weekend for the next month and had to pull strings just to find accommodations for our own dogs) I feel like we did a lot to try to find his owners but it just seems like a short amount of time. Now I'm afraid they're going to call and I'll have to tell them we gave their dog away.

Please tell me I'm not a horrible person!! Should we have kept it longer?? We didn't want to miss this opportunity to find a home for him if that's what we'd have to do anyway!

roundthree24 · February 2014

krptcmschfmkr128 said:
I would see if the other family would "foster" it and be willing to return if the former owners contact within a week. After that, consider him theirs.

This is a good suggestion, and normally that's what I'd try to do but they're 5 hours away and I have no idea how we'd get him back quickly?? They are also pretty obsessed with the dog already so I am going to feel terrible taking the dog away after giving them time to get attached. If the owners call, I'll be breaking somebody's heart either way. But we CANT keep him ourselves for another week because he'll have nowhere to go next weekend if he isn't reclaimed by then! I'm screwed!!

ashanne88 · February 2014

krptcmschfmkr128 said:

I would see if the other family would "foster" it and be willing to return if the former owners contact within a week. After that, consider him theirs.

This.

jshrop · March 2014

LuvThoseLions said:

krptcmschfmkr128 said:
I would see if the other family would "foster" it and be willing to return if the former owners contact within a week. After that,
consider him theirs.
I second THIS. I think it's only fair to give the owners more time since you're not sure where the dog came from.

Third this. Although if my dog were lost id be scouring all if these sources looking for him. I'd say after 7-10 days, any shelter would adopt him out so at that point he'd be theirs, but give the original owners time to still contact you.

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

This May sound harsh but the owners should have gotten it microchipped, tags, and not let it loose in the first place!! You sound like me--total dog lover and I think you did all you could given the timing. I say let the new family have it.., sounds like they will love it and hopefully be responsible owners. G/L

jshrop · March 2014

I have to agree with @krptcmschfmkr128 again. You have no clue the circumstances. My dog just started taking to running off, which he's never done before and he's nearly 10. I can't catch him in my current state. Obviously you take preventative measures, but sometimes shit happens beyond your control. I would hope if the new family are truly dog lovers they'd be willing to turn the dog back over to the old should they be found (and with proof it was their dog).

jtaylor199 · March 2014

I agree with people's suggestions on fostering. I would die if I lost my dog then found someone had him and gave him away to the point where I couldn't get him back. Five hours away isn't to bad, and I would hold the owners responsible for going to get it. Personally, I would probably drive across the country to get my dog back. I'm not sure, but I imagine this could turn into a legal issue if the new owners didn't give him back. I have a neighbor who fosters dogs and the last one she had was for two months. The owners were out of the country and the person taking care of her didn't do their do diligence to try to retrieve her. So it took a while for the owners to find her. It's a crappy situation to be in, best of luck!

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

krptcmschfmkr128 said:
Jme whose to say they didn't just get this dog and haven't had time yet? You don't know the circumstances, so it's not anyone's place to really judge

I see your point too.. Yes what you're saying could in fact be possible. I just can relate to how OP feels in that she has a time constraint but wants to help this animal. I said that "this May come across as harsh" and don't want to be overly judgey. I would think that if there was time to get it a collar there would be time to get tags. Of course, they could have fallen off. There's too many variables here but I support OP letting the new family have the dog if she's given adequate time and effort into finding the original owners. Here in CA I have seen so many stray dogs ( in fact ours is a rescue that was running the streets at 3 months). I have become aware of the fact that some owners (maybe not in this case) are just negligent. Hoping all
Works out in the end and that dog and owner will be reunited.

Neuron79 · March 2014

I agree that hopefully they could foster. I know last year I took a two week vaca and if one of my dogs went MIA, I'd be devastated if I returned and she had been adopted by someone else. But, less devastated than if she were dead of course. But, I love my girls and I'd get that dog back at any expense.

TheMrs820 · March 2014

I agree with PP. Good luck

dragonfly711 · March 2014

Little short notice. Owners might be away. Someone might be dog sitting. Might not live around here if someone is dog sitting. Did the dog have a microchip? If so the microchip company should be able to contact owner.

See if they can foster for awhile before adopting. Would hate for the owners to come forward. It has only been two days. That is not a lot of time. Did you check with the local vets and dog warden? I know you posted above but can't remember. Lol bad memory.

dragonfly711 · March 2014

JmeJoLee83 said:

krptcmschfmkr128 said:
Jme whose to say they didn't just get this dog and haven't had time yet? You don't know the circumstances, so it's not anyone's place to really judge
I see your point too.. Yes what you're saying could in fact be possible. I just can relate to how OP feels in that she has a time constraint but wants to help this animal. I said that "this May come across as harsh" and don't want to be overly judgey. I would think that if there was time to get it a collar there would be time to get tags. Of course, they could have fallen off. There's too many variables here but I support OP letting the new family have the dog if she's given adequate time and effort into finding the original owners. Here in CA I have seen so many stray dogs ( in fact ours is a rescue that was running the streets at 3 months). I have become aware of the fact that some owners (maybe not in this case) are just negligent. Hoping all
Works out in the end and that dog and owner will be reunited.

@JmeJoLee83

Yes you would think if they have a collar then they should have tags.

Well not always the case. I am a vet tech and always made sure my dogs had tags. Well my golden has lost 3 name tags 2 microchip tags rabies tags and his pet insurance tag 3 times.

Right now he has his 4 pet insurance tag on and so far has not lost it. I ended up having to get a collar w his name and my number embroidered on it since he always loses them.

My Jack Russell I did the same thing with him because he is small and didn't want 5 tags around his neck.

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

@dragonfly711 that's a great idea about getting a collar with embroidery. I may have to get one like that!

dragonfly711 · March 2014

JmeJoLee83 said:
@dragonfly711 that's a great idea about getting a collar with embroidery. I may have to get one like that!

@JmeJoLee83

Omg they are so nice. I was so OCD about the tags and so aggravated when I noticed he lost them all again.

A dog came into the animal hospital w a nice embroidered collar so I checked it out. They got it from Orvis. The online catalog. Got 2 for either 15-20 dollars. Cheap and made well. My guys have them on all the time and still look good even after washing.

JmeJoLee83 · March 2014

dragonfly711 said:

JmeJoLee83 said:
@dragonfly711 that's a great idea about getting a collar with embroidery. I may have to get one like that!
@JmeJoLee83

Omg they are so nice. I was so OCD about the tags and so aggravated when I noticed he lost them all again.

A dog came into the animal hospital w a nice embroidered collar so I checked it out. They got it from Orvis. The online catalog. Got 2 for either 15-20 dollars. Cheap and made well. My guys have them on all the time and still look good even after washing.

@ dragonfly711

My terrier mix hates tags so I am so getting one! I am thankful that the shelter we got her from microchips. Do you know if all shelters microchip by law? Just curious!

dragonfly711 · March 2014

JmeJoLee83 said:

dragonfly711 said:

JmeJoLee83 said:
@dragonfly711 that's a great idea about getting a collar with embroidery. I may have to get one like that!
@JmeJoLee83

Omg they are so nice. I was so OCD about the tags and so aggravated when I noticed he lost them all again.

A dog came into the animal hospital w a nice embroidered collar so I checked it out. They got it from Orvis. The online catalog. Got 2 for either 15-20 dollars. Cheap and made well. My guys have them on all the time and still look good even after washing.
@ dragonfly711

My terrier mix hates tags so I am so getting one! I am thankful that the shelter we got her from microchips. Do you know if all shelters microchip by law? Just curious!

@JmeJoLee83

https://www.orvis.com/store/product_search_tnail.aspx?dir_id=1633&group_id=1930

Here is the link. I think they had a sale when I got them but they are still not bad. Free monogramming

No as far as I know no law requiring microchipping but I know in NY most all shelters SPCAs do do it.

I know some vets will even discount if you get the chip when they are spayed and neutered since it is nicer for them to be asleep when the chip goes in. Especially cats. Mostly due to the needle is so big.

Not too bad anymore since the chip goes under the skin. Years ago when my jack and one cat was done it went into the muscle between the shoulder blades. Wouldn't want to so it awake that way. Especially cats and little dogs.

I wish all dogs were required to have them. Helps so Much with finding owners.

ElTrain5 · March 2014

I agree with PPs. 48 hours is very little time. Especially if the owner is elderly and doesn't have the internet. She may not have seen any posters yet. I wouldn't give the dog to a family who wouldn't 100% return her, if the owners are found. I think its absolutely awesome that you're helping her, but for her sake and her families sake, give it a little more time for them to make a reunion. I really hope this other family is understanding enough to realize the heartbreak that the owners may be going through. I can't imagine telling someone they couldn't have their pet back just because I bonded with it for a few days. That sounds pretty cruel.
Where do you live? Is there a lost dog group for your state? IL and NY have great ones. I'll help get you connected if you're interested.

roundthree24 · March 2014

dragonfly711 said:

Little short notice. Owners might be away. Someone might be dog sitting. Might not live around here if someone is dog sitting. Did the dog have a microchip? If so the microchip company should be able to contact owner. See if they can foster for awhile before adopting. Would hate for the owners to come forward. It has only been two days. That is not a lot of time. Did you check with the local vets and dog warden? I know you posted above but can't remember. Lol bad memory.

One of the first things we did was take it to the vet to check for a microchip. Left some notices at several of the vets with a description. We posted a flier at the animal shelter both physically and on Facebook (actually when I went around knocking on doors one of my neighbors said she saw it on Facebook! So I know we're getting his face out there!)

So let me ask you guys this: I checked with our local shelter and their stray hold period is 4 days before they adopt the dog out or put it down. Do you guys think it would be reasonable to use this as my gauge of fairness for letting the owners have a chance to reclaim him? So maybe not let the new owners take the dog until Sunday?

If I didn't have time constrains of my own, I would SO hold on to this dog for two months if I needed to! My husband and I love our dogs so much and I would die if my dogs were given away....BUT we would have also been putting "lost dog" posters out, checking the shelter daily, posting the crap out of Facebook and craigslist, and knocking on every door we could find. We live in a decent size city but our neighborhood is on the outskirts off of a rural road with only one other small neighborhood next to us (like there are maybe 30 houses in each neighborhood?) so I kind of feel like at this point there is no way whoever lost it hasn't seen the posters (we've been pretty much spamming our neighborhood with pictures of this dog.) We are starting to think that the dog might have been dumped since we are somewhat rural.

Also just to comment on the microchip/dog tag issue: I really can't understand why people don't just do it. Do AT LEAST one or the other. Especially dog tags...it's like 5 bucks and 20 minutes to get it done at Petsmart or somewhere. If you're buying a collar, get a tag while you're at it. If your pet doesn't like having a tag, get a microchip! One of our dogs is a Great Dane mix with skin rolls on her neck (we don't overfeed her, promise!) and her collars just slide right off (though we still try to keep one on her when we leave the house), so I can understand having reasons for no collar or tag if necessary but what's preventing a microchip? No, the owners don't deserve to have lost their animal because they didn't microchip him, but gee wiz! It just upsets me. This kind of thing can be avoided. Ugh, I just feel like I have to rant about it because this is just a frustrating situation.

I like somebody's comment about having the owner make the 5 hour drive to reclaim their dog if they do turn up. That will definitely be in my mind should the situation arise. But at the same time, I'm wondering if using the "stray hold rule" is fair? Also, I know for a fact that the shelter is full (I asked out of curiosity...it would have only been a very last resort next week if there were openings) which means that if I had not been a dog lover and just took it to the shelter it would most likely have been put down if the owners didn't show pup (and let me reiterate I would NEVER take a dog that I knew would be put down, but some non-dog lovers would!)

Anyway, thanks guys for your opinions! I really like hearing other people's thoughts because it's particularly difficult to be objective in a situation like this when you're trying to do what's right for everybody but still trying to consider your own situation (like, if I didn't have so much to deal with right now I'd let this dog stay with us for a month without batting an eyelash!)

I'm happy to hear and consider more opinions!

ElTrain5 · March 2014

Honestly, I would just make sure the new family is open to getting a call from the owners if they ever are found. It'll be up to them how to handle it, but I would hope they would be open to returning the dog if they are contacted with a reasonable amount of time. Again, it's really a great thing that you guys are doing keeping that puppy safe and finding it a home

dragonfly711 · March 2014

As Eltrain said. If that is the hold period then after that 4 days let them adopt the dog on the terms that if the owner does call ( they could be on vacation, out of town ect) that they have to be ok with that the owners could possibly come forward.

As for microchipping. I agree 100% that all dogs should be microchipped. Unfortunately you don't know if they just got the dog. Maybe they didn't have a chance to microchip yet.

On a side note since this dog has been with you have you had it checked out by a vet? You have no idea of vaccine history. Rabies shot? I would hate for your dog to become sick from bringing a stray into the home. Kennel cough is always one that comes to mind that your dog can get.

It was so nice of you to take in the dog and to if anything find it a home at least the little guy is off the streets and safe.
Was he neutered?

Good luck glad he is off the streets.

roundthree24 · March 2014

@dragonfly711 Good point about the shots. He came with me to the vet so that I could have them check for a microchip but the doctor wasn't available so the only person who looked at him was the vet tech who tried to scan him. He does appear to be healthy (no runny nose, clean coat, nice teeth) although maybe a little underweight. He is neutered and appears to be only about a year old (if that) so I know he's seen a vet somewhat recently, which makes me feel pretty confident that he's at least been vaccinated for rabies. Our dogs are up to date on everything including bordetella so I'm not too worried about their exposure to him. If the new owners take him on Sunday I will definitely recommend they take him to the vet asap. And I'll tell them to keep their receipts...

dragonfly711 · March 2014

clarabear1126 said:
@dragonfly711 Good point about the shots. He came with me to the vet so that I could have them check for a microchip but the doctor wasn't available so the only person who looked at him was the vet tech who tried to scan him. He does appear to be healthy (no runny nose, clean coat, nice teeth) although maybe a little underweight. He is neutered and appears to be only about a year old (if that) so I know he's seen a vet somewhat recently, which makes me feel pretty confident that he's at least been vaccinated for rabies. Our dogs are up to date on everything including bordetella so I'm not too worried about their exposure to him. If the new owners take him on Sunday I will definitely recommend they take him to the vet asap. And I'll tell them to keep their receipts...

@clarabear1126

Oh good. Hope you don't think I am a pain. Just would not want to see anything happen to your furry one.

MrsCase1 · March 2014

I think you did the right thing. If I lost my dog, I'd be doing all the things you listed except "in search of" instead of "found."

colllydon · March 2014

If my dog was lost, 5 hours would be nothing to drive to get her back. I drove 5 hours one way just to get her initially. I would just make it clear to the people you are "giving" her to that someone may love and be missing her. They may not be able to keep her forever.

ElTrain5 · March 2014

Rachel5130 said:
All I know is I would be moving heaven and earth to find my dog.

A friend of mine found her PARAKEET the other day and it was 20 miles from her home. It can be done if you try.

ETA that "you" means the owners of the lost dog. Not you. I believe YOU did everything you could!

What the...what???? Parakeet?? 20 miles? I have trouble finding my MIL's bird inside of its own cage.

roundthree24 · March 2014

dragonfly711 said:

clarabear1126 said:
@dragonfly711 Good point about the shots. He came with me to the vet so that I could have them check for a microchip but the doctor wasn't available so the only person who looked at him was the vet tech who tried to scan him. He does appear to be healthy (no runny nose, clean coat, nice teeth) although maybe a little underweight. He is neutered and appears to be only about a year old (if that) so I know he's seen a vet somewhat recently, which makes me feel pretty confident that he's at least been vaccinated for rabies. Our dogs are up to date on everything including bordetella so I'm not too worried about their exposure to him. If the new owners take him on Sunday I will definitely recommend they take him to the vet asap. And I'll tell them to keep their receipts...

@clarabear1126

Oh good. Hope you don't think I am a pain. Just would not want to see anything happen to your furry one.

I don't think you're a pain! I remember you're the one who works at a vet or in the animal field somehow, I was hoping you'd reply to this thread!

As a little update, we still haven't heard anything. We were thinking yesterday might have been a good possibility for some action since many people might have had to wait until Saturday to visit the shelter and see our flier there. So the dog is going to the new home tonight. Will keep up fliers just in case but I think this new home will end up being his forever home.

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