BellaMia
12-30-2006, 04:10 AM
My wife & I have encountered a rather strange problem and although we have had dogs before, we have never experienced a problem such as this. We are being harassed by our (new) puppy's previous owner. Let me explain. This is long post, but we need anybodies advice....Thanks.
A few weeks ago I was putting up outdoor holiday lights and had my garage door open. I went in to retrieve my ladder & discovered there was a puppy (which we now have learned is 8 mos old) She was cold, wet and shaking because of the rain that had fallen steady all day long. This was around 8:00pm. I brought her in to dry her off & give her something to eat, which she gulped down like there was no tomorrow.
The following morning the first thing I did was to bring her to our family veterinarian (we have 4 cats) to see if there was a identification chip to help me locate the owner. (Side note: all of our cats have these chips in them, please have your pet done to help you retrieve a lost pet) Unfortunately there was no chip in the puppy, nor was there any tag on the collar she was wearing.
I then did the next best thing by taking the puppies picture & made flyers, posting them throughout the neighborhood. For the next 4-5 days I walked the dog around the neighborhood asking everyone I came across if they knew or recognized the puppy. I searched the lost/found want ads & there was nothing. SORRY THIS IS TAKING SO LONG, I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFO AS I CAN TO PROTECT MY FAMILIES NEW FOUND EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT.
A friend suggested we try searching on “Craigs list” a internet want ad system. There we located a lost dog ad for a dog lost in our area. There was a photo accompanying the ad that was a sure fire match. This was at 11:25 p.m. I was so excited to have (possibly) found the owner that even though it was late I wanted to call to inform them, which I did. We exchanged stories and she asked if she could pick her up; at Midnight we received a call back from her stating that they had just layed hardwood floors and they would be sleeping in the garage anyway and could they come by and pick her up the next day. I agreed.
The next day the owner came to our home. When I opened the door & the puppy saw and reacted with such joy to her master there was no question that this was her lost puppy. She clearly missed the dog but seemed to be very uncomfortable and seemed to be holding back from sharing or telling us what was on her mind. At that point I said “there’s something wrong & your holding back something, please just say it”.
She started crying and said that she had just moved in with her boyfriend and that he had two boxers and didn’t want another dog. When I heard that I felt her pain & so I offered to take care of the dog for a week until she figured it out. She declined my offer immediately saying that she could not keep the dog. She continued to explain that she is a single parent and she was being placed between a rock and hard place. The owner then asked us if we wanted the dog. We immediately said yes. Her two concerns were that it would go to a good family and clearly we were that and the second was how she would break the news to her son. He had just left for a week. She said she would probably not tell him that she found him so he would not be upset by the news.
A couple days later the now ex-owner called to check in with us and see how the dog was doing. I specifically asked her if she was having second thoughts and she stated again that she did not want the dog back that it was “your dog”. She was feeling a little sad because she had already been through 2 other dogs and she promised her son that this one she would not lose. She reassured me again that it was our dog and said she was happy that she found a good home for her.
7 to 8 days pass an there were no more calls or messages left either on our home phone or our cell phones. Then on Christmas the now ex-owner called and left a message that her son was sick and distraught and she really wanted to talk to us but would rather tell us directly instead of leaving it on our message service.
A few hours later a friend of the ex-owner called and stated that her friend was trying to get a hold of us and that she wanted to get her dog back. I said no, it was no longer her dog it was ours; she had given it to us and that we already spent well over $1,000 on her getting proper vaccinations, getting her spayed and nursed back to health. I further said I can’t believe you are calling me Christmas day and why are you calling and not the person directly involved.
Later on that day the ex-owner called to tell me she was sorry, and that there was a terrible misunderstanding, she did not want the dog back, and that her friend misunderstood me. She asked if she could just bring her son by to visit the dog and that maybe that would be enough to make him feel better. I told her that the dog just had the spay surgery 2 days ago, she had started to bleed from the sutures. The vet urged us to keep the dog as still and quiet as possible, which I told her and based on that it would not be in the dog’s best interest to have her risk getting excited, jumping about and further damage the incision site. She said she understood and asked if I could call her to let her know when it would be best to come by and visit the dog. I said I would. After making 2 attempts, I learned that she had moved out of her boyfriends house. After reflecting on all that has transpired I decided not to make any further attempts.
She called back today leaving a voice message stating that because I have mad no attempts to return the dog to her she will be filing a civil action against us. I again attempted to call her to tell her I think that would be the best way to resolve this, but she never called back.
Where do I stand and what chance do I have to keep this puppy she initially had and relinquished to us????
Thanks for hanging on and reading it all. My wife and kids are just distraught over this entire episode. Plus we have invested so much time, money & energy to do what we thought was the right thing.
A few weeks ago I was putting up outdoor holiday lights and had my garage door open. I went in to retrieve my ladder & discovered there was a puppy (which we now have learned is 8 mos old) She was cold, wet and shaking because of the rain that had fallen steady all day long. This was around 8:00pm. I brought her in to dry her off & give her something to eat, which she gulped down like there was no tomorrow.
The following morning the first thing I did was to bring her to our family veterinarian (we have 4 cats) to see if there was a identification chip to help me locate the owner. (Side note: all of our cats have these chips in them, please have your pet done to help you retrieve a lost pet) Unfortunately there was no chip in the puppy, nor was there any tag on the collar she was wearing.
I then did the next best thing by taking the puppies picture & made flyers, posting them throughout the neighborhood. For the next 4-5 days I walked the dog around the neighborhood asking everyone I came across if they knew or recognized the puppy. I searched the lost/found want ads & there was nothing. SORRY THIS IS TAKING SO LONG, I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFO AS I CAN TO PROTECT MY FAMILIES NEW FOUND EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT.
A friend suggested we try searching on “Craigs list” a internet want ad system. There we located a lost dog ad for a dog lost in our area. There was a photo accompanying the ad that was a sure fire match. This was at 11:25 p.m. I was so excited to have (possibly) found the owner that even though it was late I wanted to call to inform them, which I did. We exchanged stories and she asked if she could pick her up; at Midnight we received a call back from her stating that they had just layed hardwood floors and they would be sleeping in the garage anyway and could they come by and pick her up the next day. I agreed.
The next day the owner came to our home. When I opened the door & the puppy saw and reacted with such joy to her master there was no question that this was her lost puppy. She clearly missed the dog but seemed to be very uncomfortable and seemed to be holding back from sharing or telling us what was on her mind. At that point I said “there’s something wrong & your holding back something, please just say it”.
She started crying and said that she had just moved in with her boyfriend and that he had two boxers and didn’t want another dog. When I heard that I felt her pain & so I offered to take care of the dog for a week until she figured it out. She declined my offer immediately saying that she could not keep the dog. She continued to explain that she is a single parent and she was being placed between a rock and hard place. The owner then asked us if we wanted the dog. We immediately said yes. Her two concerns were that it would go to a good family and clearly we were that and the second was how she would break the news to her son. He had just left for a week. She said she would probably not tell him that she found him so he would not be upset by the news.
A couple days later the now ex-owner called to check in with us and see how the dog was doing. I specifically asked her if she was having second thoughts and she stated again that she did not want the dog back that it was “your dog”. She was feeling a little sad because she had already been through 2 other dogs and she promised her son that this one she would not lose. She reassured me again that it was our dog and said she was happy that she found a good home for her.
7 to 8 days pass an there were no more calls or messages left either on our home phone or our cell phones. Then on Christmas the now ex-owner called and left a message that her son was sick and distraught and she really wanted to talk to us but would rather tell us directly instead of leaving it on our message service.
A few hours later a friend of the ex-owner called and stated that her friend was trying to get a hold of us and that she wanted to get her dog back. I said no, it was no longer her dog it was ours; she had given it to us and that we already spent well over $1,000 on her getting proper vaccinations, getting her spayed and nursed back to health. I further said I can’t believe you are calling me Christmas day and why are you calling and not the person directly involved.
Later on that day the ex-owner called to tell me she was sorry, and that there was a terrible misunderstanding, she did not want the dog back, and that her friend misunderstood me. She asked if she could just bring her son by to visit the dog and that maybe that would be enough to make him feel better. I told her that the dog just had the spay surgery 2 days ago, she had started to bleed from the sutures. The vet urged us to keep the dog as still and quiet as possible, which I told her and based on that it would not be in the dog’s best interest to have her risk getting excited, jumping about and further damage the incision site. She said she understood and asked if I could call her to let her know when it would be best to come by and visit the dog. I said I would. After making 2 attempts, I learned that she had moved out of her boyfriends house. After reflecting on all that has transpired I decided not to make any further attempts.
She called back today leaving a voice message stating that because I have mad no attempts to return the dog to her she will be filing a civil action against us. I again attempted to call her to tell her I think that would be the best way to resolve this, but she never called back.
Where do I stand and what chance do I have to keep this puppy she initially had and relinquished to us????
Thanks for hanging on and reading it all. My wife and kids are just distraught over this entire episode. Plus we have invested so much time, money & energy to do what we thought was the right thing.