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

[grey]

After my ride Friday, I was driving back down our mountain when I saw cars going off the road in front of me, on both sides. The source was a little wirehair terrier mix, looking very confused and trying to decide which way to go. There are loose dogs out here in the boonies all the time, and dogs get dumped all the time. He was clearly dumped. Loose dogs run around with a purpose and a big grin.

No collar, no tats.

So I stopped and got him - brought him home, introduced him to Ambassador Zoe (my younger, smaller dog) to play while I called Animal Control, the local vet to report I had found him should anyone be looking. Then I made flyers and dropped them off at the grocery and post office, my usual routine. I didn't expect a call.

Saturday afternoon, a man calls and says the dog is his, it was his mothers but that she passed away in February. He must have escaped from the yard, yadda yadda. He'd call me later in the afternoon to come by and pick him up.

Only, he never called. At 8pm I called him back, and got some other fellow on the phone. I hear a hand covering the reciever, and then yelling, and then I am hung up on. I called back and got the answering machine, left a message to call me back.

By the way, this dog is not interested in escaping. He's very well mannered, housebroken, crate trained, never even dug a hole in my yard. Clearly Momma was good to him.

Heard nothing all day Sunday. Nothing all day today. I decided he was truthfully abandoned and it was time to find him a home, so I did my usual round of posts on sites for that earlier this evening.

Tonight, at 9:20, a little kid calls me and asks if I still have the dog - identified him with the same name (FootFoot). I said I did, then asked to talk to a grownup. They want to pick him up tomorrow evening, now.

I was hot. Very hot. I asked what happened Saturday? Three days have passed since then, you know?

He says "Oh, we went out of town, we just got back a little bit ago."

Me: "And you didn't know this when you called me Saturday? Don't you think you should have called me?"

Him "Ummmm"

Me: "I am NOT a Doggy Daycare. I figured you had decided you didn't want him and have already put up ads for a new home."

Him: "Well, we'll come get him tomorrow around 6:30..."

My thought on all this is it's bullsh!t. They dumped him, maybe they did leave town, and by now they have seen their kid is broken up over the loss of grandma's dog and decided they'd better get him. I don't want to return him, ten to one they will just dump him again later and tell the kid he ran away again.

[beccaB]

Have you looked thoroughly into your local dog ordinances? Seems to me you are not obligated to give him back. In my area there are very strict negligent and animal cruelty laws. I have taken in strays and re homed them, cats mostly, but one time an especially large dog I didn't have enough room for. People should be ashamed of themselves. Dogs are not expendable. Sorry, a soapbox of mine at the moment. Long story.

[PamNY]

I don't think you are obligated to give them the dog -- morally, anyway. Legally I have no idea.

Be sure to document what happened. I doubt they will take action, but you never know. Maybe a local rescue group could give you advice.

Do they know where you live?

[Koronin]

Do you know the stray hold time is in your area?

[Orange utopia]

I would call and ask your local ASPCA or humane society and look up the ordinances as others suggested. If you think the dog will be dumped again, which it sounds likely, I wouldn't give him back. I hate people that treat pets like they are objects to be disregarded. This is a huge monster soapbox for me as well.

[grey]

Dumping animals is a favorite passtime around here. The local animal shelter holds animals for 3 days, then they are put down. There are that many of them -it's horrible.

I will look into whether I am obligated to give him back. I really, really do not want to. Such a good point you gals have made there! Most people here are poor, I really would not expect any kind of claim to be filed.

There is no Humane Society, ASPCA, or no-kill in the area. Chattanooga has them, but they don't want animals from NW GA. There is a group of friends that rescues a handful from animal control every month and finds homes for them, and they help me from time to time since I seem to be a magnet for unwanted/lost animals. I have gone through the abandoned animal routine so many times it's just sick. I find them homes, some of them I keep (I have three dogs of my own, all abandonment cases, all are fantastic animals).

They do not know where I live, they do not know my name, even. All they have is my cell number, which is bad enough. I have their home number, and a friend with access to the nationwide database (for employment purposes). I've passed along the number, and by the end of today, I will know EVERY. THING. about them. You see, they never offered a name either. I think they are dishonest and horrible people. In these small towns, everyone knows everyone.

Momma raised the man, and a dog. I can tell you, the dog has great manners. The asshat didn't even have the sense to apologize to me. He, I guess, expected me to be fine with the whole thing.