Question
Saturday morning I saw a post on Facebook asking if anyone could take in an abandoned dog. The story I got was that the family left the dog over a year ago and the neighbor had been feeding her and taking care of her as best as he could do, but he could no longer do it. My husband and I decided to take her in. When we arrived, she had flies and fleas all over her. We gave her a bath and took her to the vet. She has sores all over her and both her ears are severely infected. We got medicine and treatment and spent $200. She obviously wasn't being taken care of. Now the owner wants her back. The dog is happy and adjusting well with us and our other dogs. Is there anything we can do to keep her?
Answer
Generally the burden to try to get an animal returned falls on the person not in possession. If a lawsuit is commenced (and many more threats are made than actual lawsuits brought), the court will consider the evidence to determine rights, including whether a person abandoned, sold, or gifted an animal (and whether they were ever the owner of the animal in question). Some courts have also considered the animal’s well-being. I suggest having on hand veterinary records (to demonstrate ownership and prior neglect), FB posts, etc. in the event a lawsuit is brought or the police inquire. I really hope this works out for this dog.
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