Am Furious - Dog dumped, now they want him back?

[Brandi]

I bet you don't hear back. But let us know what happens. Must keep us updated. And I agree you are doing the right thing too! Good for you and Lt Fuzz!

[PamNY]

You did the right thing. I'd be surprised if he's chipped -- and I hope he isn't. Dogs get rehomed so much -- I doubt if any vet will raise questions. Likely the vet will simply confirm whether there is or isn't a chip.

Hope all goes smoothly for the little guy.

[Trek420]

He's cute! Needs a better name - after someone who vanquished/out-smarted their foes.

He's officially a TE dog so, Thor. Thor will smash! You did the right thing. I'm sure somehow his Mom's up there cheering you on for rescuing him and jeering her family for dumping her furbaby.

[tzvia]

Oh my G.....
Paint those brown spots black and you have my BOOBIE! I've missed her terribly since she passed back in '93... Oh gosh. She was so smart and so sweet, with a 'wanna cookie' cry that rivaled a fingernail across the blackboard expert. All these years and I can still imagine that cry and those piercing eyes, what an actress.

You did the right thing. A dog like that knows what being dumped is and what a loving home is and can tell the difference. My current pooch was a runaway that had been dumped and was found in the gutter and he just looks at me like he is so grateful every day. Perfect manners, and he spends his day with my father, who has dementia, watching him as his best friend (and my dad just loves him). God gave him to me, and I think your rescue is equally grateful and deserves a loving home.

[Cataboo]

Hrm. I guess I'm the only one who is uncomfortable with assuming that a dog has been dumped, will be dumped again, and willy nilly deciding to not give it back and giving it to someone else. If you assumed the dog was dumped, why bother putting up flyers in the first place or advertising it? The dog looks to be in good health and friendly, so I'm assuming he's been taken care of, fed, and not abused.

There was no proof the dog was dumped, we don't know the circumstances of them going out of town, and we now know a little boy has lost his dog.

So if I find a bike that I think is abandoned, find the original owners and deem them unworthy, I can just give it to someone else that I do think is worthy? I should also be able to do that with lost toddlers in the mall.

[Biciclista]

Sorry, Cat, i can't imagine someone finding MY CAT (don't have dogs) and me calling them and saying "I'm coming over to pick her up" and then NOT COME for 3 days without apology or explanation. A responsible pet owner just WOULD NOT do that.

[jessmarimba]

I should also be able to do that with lost toddlers in the mall.

Actually, the state WILL take away lost toddlers in the mall if their parents don't go looking for them within a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, pets don't have something like CPS - they have shelters, which will put down unclaimed strays whose owners take too long to bother checking. This guy is lucky he was found by someone else.

[Tri Girl]

Good for you, Grey! Here's to hoping Lt. Fuzz will have a great life with his new owners.

[indysteel]

Sorry, Cat, i can't imagine someone finding MY CAT (don't have dogs) and me calling them and saying "I'm coming over to pick her up" and then NOT COME for 3 days without apology or explanation. A responsible pet owner just WOULD NOT do that.

That's my feeling, too. I would be frantic to get my pet back, and I certainly wouldn't impose on anyone else's kindness any longer than I absolutely had to.

[grey]

I don't want anyone on this forum (or elsewhere) to think I would want to deny someone the return of their dog. Especially when there's a child (a girl) involved. I have thought long and hard about it, this isn't a casual decision. Not by a long shot.

I've been picking up strays, had lost dogs come to my house, and rescued abused animals for more than 10 years now.

I make every effort to find out if the animal has a home, and to reunite that animal with its home. I don't care if the home is dirt poor - I had one where the lady lived in the oldest, shabbiest singlewide trailer in the crappiest side of town, but she loved her dog - she couldn't really even afford to feed Chewbacca well, the dog looked terrible (but so did the owner). But she loved that dog, and dogs are loyal no matter what. They don't care.

Even if I think an animal was dumped, I still make the usual rounds. I was wrong once - found a dog without a collar in a WalMart parking lot. It's a favorite dumping ground. I still made flyers, I still called Animal Control and the vet. Lexa DID have a home, a happy one - her family lived not far from WalMart and she had backed out of her collar while tied in the yard - the grandkids were leaving, she wanted to go too, it seemed. It was a happy thing, and that taught me to NEVER EVER assume, no matter what I initially think.

Everything about this case tells me the parents did not want the dog, that the dog was deliberately abandoned.

1) Body language on the road, which I mentioned before. Dumped dogs have a very clear "where am I, what just happened" expression, they don't usually leave the spot for several hours. They usually trot back and forth, and look very confused.

2) He was not in the best of shape - pictures can be very deceiving. Ever see a cute house on Realtor.com, then drive by and see it's a crappyshack? I pulled eight HUGE ticks off of the little guy, and gave him three flea baths. The fleas were also large and fat, they had been there a long time. His coat is thin and ratty, and holy Mother but he STINKS. I plan to bathe him again today. He's also quite thin. I think with Momma he was an inside dog, after Momma, he was booted outside.

3) No collar. Most folks here don't bother with getting tags and shots - but if they have a dog they want, the rule here by Animal Control says to at least put a collar on them. Dumping here is considered the "nicer" alternative to going to AC - the three day before destruction hold time isn't much. A death in the woods is considered better, and at least there's a chance someone will pick him up. I consider it lazy.

4) I'm not sure WHY the guy called me on Saturday afternoon. But he did say it was his mother's dog, and she passed away. Therefore: Momma had him, they inherited a dog they may not have intended upon having. It happens a lot.

5) The man did not call me back to arrange pick-up as he said he would. I called him, hours later, and was hung up on. All subsequent calls during the weekend went unreturned. THREE DAYS I had this dog after that call. Anybody else, when I have found the owner, they came out within ten minutes flat, barring that, directly after work.

6) They had the KID call on Monday night. The kid is the one missing the dog, poor girl. That whole conversation with the man sounded listless on his end, he didn't even apologize to me - he didn't care.

7) If they gave a damn, my call last night should have prompted a call back. Any responsible owner would have said "OK, what neighborhood, we'll go out there and look." As it was... these people never even gave me a FIRST NAME. Also, the flyers were removed Saturday afternoon. I'm wondering if they are well-known (or if Momma was well-known and liked), and didn't want someone knowing the dog was missing.

As for the poor kid... I feel terrible. I didn't do the dumping, and I'm sure that since she was told he "dug out and ran away" once, (A dog that doesn't dig ) they'll just do the same later and tell her "well, he done it again." One heartbreak is better than two.

[Selkie]

That dog deserves the best. An angel led him to you, knowing that you would do right by the pooch.

[goldfinch]

Good decision Grey.

[Owlie]

Hrm. I guess I'm the only one who is uncomfortable with assuming that a dog has been dumped, will be dumped again, and willy nilly deciding to not give it back and giving it to someone else. If you assumed the dog was dumped, why bother putting up flyers in the first place or advertising it? The dog looks to be in good health and friendly, so I'm assuming he's been taken care of, fed, and not abused.

There was no proof the dog was dumped, we don't know the circumstances of them going out of town, and we now know a little boy has lost his dog.

So if I find a bike that I think is abandoned, find the original owners and deem them unworthy, I can just give it to someone else that I do think is worthy? I should also be able to do that with lost toddlers in the mall.

While I do understand what you're saying, if I were the dog's owner, I'd be over to pick the poor thing up as soon as I could, and if for some reason I couldn't, I'd call. I'd feel bad about imposing my animal on someone else.

Good decision, Grey. I feel bad for the little girl, though.

[PamNY]

So if I find a bike that I think is abandoned, find the original owners and deem them unworthy, I can just give it to someone else that I do think is worthy? I should also be able to do that with lost toddlers in the mall.

If parents of a lost toddler behaved the way this dog's alleged owners behaved, I certainly hope you would do something other than return the child to them.

[Orange utopia]

While I do understand what you're saying, if I were the dog's owner, I'd be over to pick the poor thing up as soon as I could, and if for some reason I couldn't, I'd call. I'd feel bad about imposing my animal on someone else.

Good decision, Grey. I feel bad for the little girl, though.

I agree 100%. I can't imagine waiting days to pick up my lost dog once I knew how to get him. That is not normal loving dog people behavior. I think you are doing the right thing for sure.