Question
Does a homeless man have the right to claim his abandoned dog after I have had her for 5 months?
Answer
There is no simple answer to this question. The answer depends on the circumstances under which the dog left the homeless man's possession and what has transpired during the last five months. For example, if a person signs an animal surrender agreement or voluntarily gives away or sells his/her animal, that person generally has no further rights to that animal. People who lose their animal typically have a specified number of days to retrieve the animal from a shelter (the number of days provided for in the law varies throughout the country but is usually just a few days, not months). If a person boarded/fostered his/her animal, rights would depend on the boarding/fostering agreement and whether there were breaches of that agreement. Courts may also order forfeiture of animals by people convicted of mistreating the animals. People who believe their animal is being wrongfully withheld can sue to try to get the animal returned. Some courts consider the well-being of the animal in determining custody. I hope this all works out for the dog.
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