Lost and Found Dog Question [Archive]

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nacra99

07-13-2006, 02:43 PM

Hi all.. need some legal advice.
3 days ago, a dog showed up on my patio and made her home under the covers of my Webber Grill (hey i would pick BBQ too!). She looked like she hadn't eaten in awhile, so i opened the patio door to feed her. She then proceeded to invite herself into my home and has stayed ever since.
I brought her to the vet to have her scanned for tatoos or microchips, but nuthing turned up. I have placed a classified ad in the local papers and put up flyers around my neighborhood and have yet to get a response.

The question is... if nobody responds to claim the dog, and I decide to keep her, what (legal) procedures and how long do i keep the dog (while waiting for someone to claim her) before I can legally qualify to be her legal owner?

I'm not even sure what breed she is or whether she is even full grown...I'll post a pic soon... perhaps someone could tell me.

Cheers!
Marc

Ryan

07-13-2006, 03:19 PM

Marc,

I really have no idea, but a similar situation happened to me recently. I was driving home from work in a very isolated area with no houses or businesses, and a small chihuahua ran out into the road. I stopped and called to her because I didn't want her to get hit. I took her to the vet and they scanned her for a chip -- nothing. So I made flyers and put them up in several small towns around our area. After about 2 weeks, her owner called and was able to identify her. Needless to say, they were thrilled that she was alright and they thanked me for looking after her.

Had I not found them, I would have just kept her though. You can call local shelters or vets to see if anyone has reported the dog missing, you can check the classifieds' lost and found section, and put up flyers. If she has an owner who cares about her and is worried about her, they will be looking for her.

Maybe someone else will know what you can do from a legal standpoint.

Ryan

poconogal

07-13-2006, 03:29 PM

Marc, I know that for lost wallets and such, there is a 30 day wait in NY and PA. I don't know of any official, legal procedure there would be should you decide to officially adopt the pooch, so far as I know, there are no dog adoption agencies :) (even though you have already, "unofficially" got a new family member - they know who to pick -- LOL). If the dog was wandering, has no collar with ID, no microchip with ID, it is very possible that she is simply a poor stray or that someone dumped the poor thing. (Personally, if there is a previous owner that was so careless as to not even have an ID tag on their animal, I don't think they deserve to have her!) I think you've done all that's required by placing the ad and by putting up flyers. You could also check with the local animal shelters to see if anyone has been looking for the dog, and notify them that you are holding her. I would wait the 30 days, and then hopefully, the lucky pup will have an official new home and I'd then take down those flyers! :D

Connie

nacra99

07-13-2006, 04:02 PM

Thanks for the insight guys. I'm having thoughts about keeping her, but we'll have to see.

The main reason for my question is that if nobody comes and claims the dog for say months, then the responsibiliy for stuff like grooming, flea + tick + heart worm medications, other medical expenses falls on me. There comes a point where I have to weigh all the investment and decide that the owner is probably not going to come for the dog and i go ahead and do certain procedures that a responsible dog owner would do like implanting a microchip in her or perhaps spaying.

But... if I am not her legal owner, and someone eventually comes to claim the dog later and find that their dog has been spayed and had microchips implanted, it could (but hopefully not) get pretty messy.

But i'm probably just paranoid... I watch Animal Planet's animal cops way too much...

Marc

poconogal

07-13-2006, 04:46 PM

Marc, one more thought... you can check with your animal shelter to see whether there is actually an official waiting period or any other requirements which need to be fulfilled. See what they say.

Connie

April

07-13-2006, 05:05 PM

i was wondering what happened to your chihauhau ryan..what about the other one..you couldnt catch? did you ever hear any word on it?
was it a good owner who lost them? or that one..that people said owned her.
we were driving..and 3 minpins were running all over the road. we caught the male..couldnt get near the female..and the pup was running all over the tracks. apparently..they lived in the area..and the owners let them run wild..and sold pups from them. sooner or later they will get hit on the highway. sad.

steve.ryall

07-14-2006, 05:28 AM

Marc,

I was watching Judge Judy the other day and a similar situation was shown. The woman who found a lost dog did as you did ie took to the vets and looked for chips/tattoos, but decided to keep it. She had it neutered, and spent loads of money on it. Then the actual owners located where it had gone and wanted it back. The case was all about recovering all costs for the money spent on the dog...and the finder said that it was hers anyway.

Needless to say Judge Judy rewarded the real owners by letting then have their pooch back, and the finder was out of pocket for spending so much on a dog that wasn't hers.

Just a story....thought it might help.

Steve :)

nacra99

07-14-2006, 09:55 AM

wolfbane

07-14-2006, 11:37 AM

Marc, do contact the local dog warden or shelter and see what the legalities are. We had a found dog wrenched out of our lives in California when the owner, after 3 months, stole from us. On the other hand, here, once a dog is adopted out throught the shelter, that makes it permanent. Former owner has no recourse

White Worm

07-14-2006, 03:46 PM

Judge Judy is a B..ch but fun to watch. Yeah, check with local pound and tind out what the wait time is before pup is considered abandoned.

nacra99

07-14-2006, 06:46 PM

Thanks guys for the replies... I'll take her down to the pound tomorrow.
here's a pic of her after her flea shampoo bath (just in case)
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmwong/simply/IMG_0601_s.JPG

nacra99

07-14-2006, 06:47 PM

Anybody knows what breed she is?? I think she's a full grown adult.... but i'm not sure.. Here she is beside a 10gal tank for comparison
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmwong/simply/IMG_0596_s.JPG

LizStreithorst

07-14-2006, 07:46 PM

David, She is beautiful and obviously very loving. In the 1st pic she looks like a Chihuahua XX. In the second pic she looks more like a Welsh Corgi XX.

Good luck with her. DO contact your local animal shelter. They'll know the laws.

wolfbane

07-14-2006, 11:37 PM

Boy, she looks like a Jack Russel cross, maybe with a rat terrier.

traco

07-14-2006, 11:50 PM

I was leaning towards jack russell cross also. But whatever she is, she is sure pretty. Let's hope she is a stray and you get to keep her.:)

Dissident

07-15-2006, 12:42 AM

There is a website out there dedicated for mis-placed dogs related to Katrina.
I know it's been a while but there is always that possibility.

I would look it up and check there.

nacra99

07-17-2006, 02:17 PM

Thanks for all the replies!
I brought her to the SPCA, they took down my contact just in case the owner comes calling.

Apparently in order to assume legal ownership of a stray is a pretty complicated process. There's like a 30 day waiting period, I have to place an ad in the papers for a certain number of days, place flyers for a certain number of days within a 1/2 mile radius.. and then there's the paper work... I guess i better get started....

Btw... the vet said that she's probably a Rat Terrier Cross.

Cheers!
Marc

Ryan

07-17-2006, 02:22 PM

Rat terriers are so cute, even though they don't sound like they would be from the name. My friend has one. She was afraid of me for a long time, but now she comes and says hi when I visit.

April, I have an update for you on that chihuahua I found... yes, the owner managed to get the male back. Someone else found him and posted a flyer, and she got him back a couple days after he went missing.

The owner of the dogs contacted us a few weeks ago. She told me she was having trouble with the two dogs. She is getting older and is gone a lot because of work, and she decided that she just wanted to have her male dog fixed and keep him. So she gave us first dibbs on the female chihuahua that I'd found before. Of course we said yes. So a month or so after being returned to her owner, she is now back with us.

Ryan