UPDATE Moral Dilemma resolved, the dogs owner showed up.

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
32,359
004-12.jpg


Easter Sunday about 7:30 pm I was lettin' my dog, (a Terri-Poo) out, to go to the bathroom and I found this little Cocker Spaniel lookin' dog wanderin' around in my front yard (turns out it's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), now I live in a very rural area on a tertiary road with a very large front and back yard, I've never had to tie or fence in any of the 4 dogs I've had over the last 25 years.

The 3 dogs that are gone, (a Border Collie mix aka mutt, a Sheep dog mix and a full bred German Shepard) lived 14-16 years, we've always had animals, at one point we had the 3 dogs 29 cat and 99 roosters, (don't ask about the roosters it's a sore subject) and 30 chickens, so I am one of those people who is committed to their pets and animals (I'm not one of those people who lets their pets out alone, I go out with 'em, wind, snow, rain) so they're never out alone.

So I bring the dog in so it doesn't get lost more or hurt, we've got everything from bobcats to bears with every North Eastern PA predator in between, I then spend the next 5 hours ridin' around lookin' for some sign of a person lookin' for a dog, I drove around down every road within 5 miles of my house which isn't many, (maybe 6 roads with a total of maybe 35 homes/farms) no sign of anyone lookin' for a lost dog, so the dog spends the night. No problems with my other dog or the 4 cats we have.

This dog walked in and took over the house, it was like it had always been here, it wasn't scared or nasty, didn't chase the cats, (well maybe a little :) ) it sidled up to my wife and daughter and it's a pretty dog to boot, now I'm concerned about this dog's family, I figure someone has to be missin' this dog real bad.

Monday mornin' which was a Holiday for the school kids in the township so I figure once again that I have a good chance of findin' the dogs owner, (by now my wife and daughter are tryin' to give the dog a name, I know I'm in trouble now) so I drive around the neighborhood again along with talkin' to the local vet whomade several calls 'cause she said there were about a half a dozen of these dogs in the area, so the Vet puts out an APB to all the nearby shelters and other Vets with my info and a description of the dog.

She also checks the dog with a scanner, looks for a tattoo or even a dog tag, nuthin. so now I stop my local mail carrier, she delivers to our rural area and drives a 10 square mile route up and down every road near my house, I figured if anyone would notice someone lookin' for a lost dog she would.

I even went so far as to have the local auctioneer make announcements at his auctions but to no avail, now here it's goin' on a week and no response from anywhere, I'm beggin' to think some just tossed the dog out in front of my house and took off, it's not unusual for people to dump their unwanted pets on my road.

My pets are all trained to follow all the basic commands by voice, hand signals and whistles, they know the property line and would not run out into the road, (well except the Terri-Poo, the terrier in him winds himself up so much I swear with all the yippin' goin' on he can't hear me over his own bark but I can stop stop him and control him, it's just less stressful to stop him before he gets runnin') so anyway.

I take care of 'em, I love 'em and I invest the time to make sure they're happy, healhy and . If one of my pets were missin' I'd be goin' crazy drivin' up and down the neighborhood at 2 mph callin' the dogs name and lookin' with a flashlight, I check the ASPCA, local Vets and everywhere I could.

Who abandons a $2000 dog?

Now here's my dilemma, everyone's fallen in love with this dog, she's got a great temperament, she's house broken (doesn't poop inside), doesn't wander and gets along with my other pets, she listens to her basic commands, (she'll need more trainin') I'm just afraid that evryone has fallen in love with this dog I'd hate for them to get too attached to the little critter and have to give the dog back. I don't want to take her to any of the local shelters as they'll only hold the dog for 72 hours and then release the dog for adoption, which means the dog could wind up anywhere, (all these places know we have the dog so if someone were lookin' for the dog they'd have called me by now.

So what do I do, keep the dog and add 1 more to my zoo, send the dog to a shelter leavin' it an uncertain future, there's a woman about a mile and a half away who breeds 'em but she didn't recognize the pup, she offered to take the dog in and foster it but I'm concerned she'll just resell it or adopt it out to someone else.

I can give the dog a good home and lovin' family but I keep wrestlin' with the thought of what's best for the pup and not wantin' to give away someone the family has fallen in love with. What would you do?


Dog reunited with owner a happy ending.
 
Last edited:
Since you live in the country, I wonder if someone just dropped her off by the side of the road out there and headed back to town. It happens at my grandparent's farm in Ohio all the time. So sad... I say hang on to her. You've notified everyone you can and if the owner DOES come looking, they'll be pointed in the right direction by the vets & shelters.
 
^This. I have some friends who lived out on a rural road and it was pretty common for people to drop their dogs off and head out. I'd say at this point you've done your due diligence. If you like the dog and don't mind having another, I'd say keep her. If not, take her to a shelter, but preferably a no kill one. If her temperament is how you portray it, she shouldn't have a problem being adopted out.

While it's not uncommon for people to abandon their pets in rural areas, I have no idea how someone could do so. I guess once I make a commitment to take a pet in, it becomes a part of the family though, so it'd be just as hard to dispense with my dog as it would be to dispense with one of my family members. That's probably an exaggeration, but you get what I'm saying.
 
I agree with you completely, once a pet comes into the family, it's a family member and treated as such, when my 14 year old shepard got sick and her hip got so bad she was in a lot of pain, she was in so much pain I couldn't get her into the car to bring her to the vet to have her put to sleep, the vet came out to the house and gave her the shots in the foyer where she liked to hang out.

We all gathered around her and hugged her, pet her and talked to her till she finally past away, we all cried, and my wife still does after 2 years, we buried her in her favorite spot in the corner of our yard where she would lay in the grass and could watch the creek in the yard, the front porch and back deck where we would hang out and the driveway so she could warns us if someone pulled in.

So I know how you feel, they are family, I could never abandon my family.
 
Keep her. If anyone ever shows up to claim her, shoot him for abandoning her.
 
If you lived in North Korea this would be a slam dunk, no stray dog problem there. Seriously, sounds like you have done due diligence to try to find the owner. Get some affidavits from the vets and other agencies you have contacted to prove you did the leg work and then keep that dog. If the owner comes around later and gives you a decent explanation then work it out like civil people. Maybe the dog was stolen out in NYC or Philadelphia and the dog thieves decided they had a dog they couldn't sell and dumped it out. Who knows but odd things happen. It does seem odd that if someone local lost it that they aren't out doing the other coin side of your investigation. It's not rocket science when you lose a dog which makes me think it came from way outside of your area.
 
Talk to dog groomers, vets, pet suppliers, about the lost dog. I wouldn't post a picture, let the owner describe and provide pictures to validate ownership. Too many people would lie about a dog like that. If I lost a dog, I would sure like someone to return it. Post note in shopping centers about lost dog found. Leave a note with the shelters and animal control. Talk to the police as well. Someone may have been on a trip and let the dog out and it ran off. Take the high road and do what is right. I know that you have made the effort. Regards.
 
I didn’t have to go much past the photo to know what I would do. Who could turn away such a doe-eyed, smiling face like that?

But I did read your story and feel empathy for your Catch-22. My wife and I have had cats that we have loved as family members throughout the years in Eastern PA, CA, and now NC. We had an outside cat live to ten, two inside cats lived to 14 and 17, (the latter had diabetes, who required twice daily injections of insulin,) and an outdoor cat who lived just three months shy of twenty-one. You might say we’ve done our share of crying over the years.

A question you may have to answer is, how would you feel if the vet/shelter found the owner and sent them your way to recover their pet after you’ve cared for her for a few weeks?

Picture this: You answer the door to a man and woman and their little 7 year old daughter. The dog runs towards them and into the girl’s arms, barking, tail wagging like mad, while she shouts, “Skippee!!” The family has a scrapbook filled with photos of themselves and the dog, which is obviously this dog by the markings.

I don’t know about you, but in spite of the fact we would know we’d have to give the dog back, my wife and I would have a terrible time letting go of that collar. But we’d feel good knowing the dog was back to its loving family.

Not to add to your problems, but here’s another unfortunate dilemma. What if the family who showed up were not so loving?

You may want to go online and check the laws in Penna. regarding lost/found personal property. (I know it’s odd to think of pets as property, but in some states, that’s what the law considers them.) You may find that if you can prove you’ve held the dog for a certain period, you’re entitled to claim that pet as yours, in spite of evidence to the contrary.

Dilemmas, indeed.

I agree with others in this thread. You HAVE done your due diligence; above and beyond what others may have done, specially after having held the dog for only one week. But I digress. You asked, “What would you do?” and I’ll tell you what we’d do. After believing we’d tried our very best to find the owner, we would keep the dog as one of the family, and hope that the dog lives many years in a loving environment; be that with us, or otherwise. What else COULD we do?
.
 
Ted...A vet that'll come to your house to put an ailing pet to sleep is a great thing. We recently had to put my 19 year old Min-Pin and her 21 year old adopted cat mother to sleep at the same time due to some serious age related issues, and the vet came to the house and they both passed on somewhere where they were comfortable surrounded by their family. It was sad to see them go, but they went in the most comfortable and familiar circumstances possible. I was happy we were able to do that for them and that vet was a godsend.

Anyway, I'd say keep the dog. It seems like you're leaning that way anyway, and if there's room for one more pet, she seems to have adopted you already.
 
Print your photo with your contact information and leave it at the places you thought to look and any more that you think of. If the owner is trying to track the dog down, they will catch up with you eventually and you will have had a nice "rental" pet. If not, you get a permanent one. It's a win/win for everyone.
 
I would keep the dog, Cavaliers are great dogs. I have a black and tan and he is my best buddy. The first Cavalier I had was a Blenheim like the one you found. The only problem with Cavaliers are the health problems that some of them have; mitral valve defects, luxating patellas. It sounds like he is a good fit with your family and that he is already home.
 
Keep it and quit worrying. If anyone comes to claim it at a later date, have them identify it (out of their sight
) down to the last hair. Have them explain how it came to be in your yard.
In other words, she is yours now.
 
Sounds like you've done what you can. I would post a picture with the local vet, animal control officer and shelter and give the dog the best home that you can.
 
Talk to the shelters, the police, the local vets, groomers, make a simple lost dog poster and put copies on bulletin boards and the local grocery and pet supply stores. That's all you can do when there's no tag or tattoo or chip. The other thing to do is keep reminding your family that it is possible that the owner will call and then the dog must go back.

Failing that, the fact that you are able and willing to give this poor thing a loving home is wonderful. They are great dogs, very friendly, very family-oriented, very eager-to-please.
 
Ted, you were clearly chosen.... it was meant to be. Don't fight it, she is yours.
 
I agree with every one else. Sounds like the dog is meant to be with you and your family. I've come across my fair share of abandoned dogs repoing houses. One followed me around this small town it was starving and thirsty I gave it water since I always have a water jug with me and it didnt want to leave my side. Jumped in the truck with me as well so I brought it home and my cousin fell in love with her. Called her MISCAH. Hes had her for 10 years now great lil dog. She is a Peekapoo I believe. Sad that people just drop animals off like that, I love my dogs way to much to ever do that. Shoot sometimes they eat better than me lol.
 
Look at her face in that picture. She IS home, and very lucky to have a good family to take care of her
 
If a GENUINE EFFORT has been made to locate the owner/s of said pooch, and nothing turns up, a good/loving home beats the shelter. That said, I would dearly hope that if one of my dogs got out and was found that the finders would try to locate their legitimate home (both my dogs are on daily medication for serious conditions not visibly identifiable, etc.).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top