I want to make sure this puppy is taken care of.

Question

My friend had an 11-week-old puppy for a week. She tried to get rid of him the first day she had him. After a week, she brought him over saying he has worms and fleas and that she doesn't think she can keep him because she can't afford it. I told her to leave the puppy with me until she found a job so she can afford it. I've had him for a week and have spent $400 on this puppy at the vet. It has come out that he is very timid around new people and has bad anxiety and separation anxiety. Now my friend is trying to get him back and refuses to tell me if she has a job or not. Is there any way I can keep this puppy so he doesn't go to a home where he's not taken care of? How should I go about this?

Answer

I hope that you and your friend can amicably work out a pet custody arrangement that is in the best interests of the puppy. Your email indicates that you agreed to temporarily care for your friend’s puppy, not that your friend gave you the puppy. As the expression goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.” However, sometimes people who are not bonded with an animal and need money are willing to sell their animal (in which case, ideally there would be a written agreement clearly stating that the animal is being sold and that the seller is relinquishing all rights to the animal).