Ethical Question: Do you return a mistreated animal to the owner?

[TMF]

So here's the question: let's say you find a stray who has no tags, isn't neutered and covered with fleas wandering down a busy road. I realize that dogs get out sometimes, but being flea ridden in a sign of neglect especially nowadays where you can cheaply keep a pet flea free. I could reason excuses for why the animal had no tags, microchip or wasn't neutered, but that amount of flea infestation is friggin abuse. Now lets say after two days of the dog missing you finally see a missing dog ad online describing the dog you found. Should you contact the owner and return it, or try to adopt it out to responsible people? The thing is, we take in strays all the time and always try to find the original owner. Sometimes we do, and sometimes it's clear they don't want to be found, in which case we find another home for it. A few of the dogs we returned to owners were obviously not well taken care of, and the owners turned out to be pretty trashy people. We don't feel good about ourselves returning a pet to that environment. We won't feel good this time either, because I'm certain these people are trash. What would the TGO folks do? This is especially hard since this is such an awesome dog. Edited September 6, 2013 by TMF

[rugerla1]

Find someone who will love it, not ignore it. My :2cents:

[Trekbike]

Can't we discuss something more simple in nature, say chemical weapons in Syria?   

 

Can you tell by the ad how long the dog has been missing?   Is it possible it's been missing long enough to have gotten into its current condition while missing?  I'm assuming by your description that it's not possible.   If the answer is no way possible, I'd likely try to find the dog a new home if it was me.  

[TMF]

Can't we discuss something more simple in nature, say chemical weapons in Syria?

Can you tell by the ad how long the dog has been missing? Is it possible it's been missing long enough to have gotten into its current condition while missing? I'm assuming by your description that it's not possible. If the answer is no way possible, I'd likely try to find the dog a new home if it was me.

They didn't put the ad up until over 24 hours after we rescued the dog. The dog was also taken down to animal control to register it in case someone called. Obviously they didn't contact AC. If we had just dropped it off with AC it would have been put down by now.

The level if infestation was such that there is no way it could have happened over the course of a few hours or even days. We're talking thousands of fleas. After a bath and treatment, the fleas still had to be combed out for several hours to get all the dead ones off.

[1madss]

There are people that have a completely different mindset about dogs or pets in general. Some feel they are disposible while some treat them part of the family. Then there are those that dress them in clothes and carry them around in a purse, but that's a whole other story :)

 

I had to put down my golden retriever of 14 years Wednesday morning and I'm still struggling with it 2 days later. Some of my co-workers understand and others can't seem to grasp the grief, "It's just a damned dog". Any animal that comes under my roof is going to be treated well, not spoiled, but taken care of. Not disposed of when they become an inconvience or when the puppy new wears off. My wife works at a vets office and comes home almost everyday with a sad story of irresponsible pet owners. I've had to ask her to please not to tell me any of those for a few days.

 

When I was 10 we found a german shepard about a year old and searched for weeks for the owners before allowing ourselves to get emotionaly invested in the dog. 2 months later the owners popped up out of nowhere. We felt we had to do the right thing and give the dog back. At that age it was hard to understand why.

Edited September 6, 2013 by 1madss

[ted]

You did the right thing , its evident the owner didn't really care about the dog , if he did the dog would not be in that bad of shape.

[maroonandwhite]

I'l bet he doesn't want to leave after a good bath and brushing!

 

Me personally I'd due a LITTLE more digging and see what the circumstances may be. From what you said though it seems like a case of pure neglect. More than likely the kids started missing the dog and the parents posted just to say they did. I'd probably try to find him another home.

 

+1 to you for caring!

[TripleDigitRide]

I like animals more than I like most people. I say find the dog a loving home where he will be properly cared for. I despise people who neglect animals. 

[RobertNashville]

I like animals more than I like most people. I say find the dog a loving home where he will be properly cared for. I despise people who neglect animals.

Could not agree more. ^^^^

As to the original post, based on what you've stated, I would find a home where it will be loved and well cared for and would do so with a completely clear conscious.

[TMF]

Well, I let my conscience get the better of me and contacted the owner to investigate further to make sure that there aren't some kind of extenuating circumstances which would explain the totality of evidence leading to a determination of the owner's sh**baggerry. It is confirmed; these people are neglectful and awful people. I don't have time to type it all out, so I'll just say that my suspicion was correct. I can not in good conscience let this dog back into this environment, so the decision is final. Edited September 6, 2013 by TMF

[maroonandwhite]

Glad you got it figured out! Nor for the mandatory dog thread requirement....PICS!

[BigK]

Good for you TMF. I'm glad you didn't subject that poor animal to a life of misery. Even after only a few days, I bet that poor pup feels like he/she won the doggy lottery already.

Edited September 6, 2013 by BigK

[TMF]

Glad you got it figured out! Nor for the mandatory dog thread requirement....PICS!

I would love to do that, but I really can't due to the situation. I will say that he's gotta face that only a mother could love.

[maroonandwhite]

I would love to do that, but I really can't due to the situation. I will say that he's gotta face that only a mother could love.

Yeah didn't think about that. Well no matter what his face looks like I bet it has a smile on it from here on out!  :up:

[TripleDigitRide]

Well, I let my conscience get the better of me and contacted the owner to investigate further to make sure that there aren't some kind of extenuating circumstances which would explain the totality of evidence leading to a determination of the owner's sh**baggerry. It is confirmed; these people are neglectful and awful people. I don't have time to type it all out, so I'll just say that my suspicion was correct. I can not in good conscience let this dog bag into this environment, so the decision is final.

No decent human being, under any circumstances, would allow their animal to end up in such a condition. You did good. Thank you.

[Trekbike]

So were they aware you had the dog, or was it a case of mistaken identity and you had a different dog? :)

[QuietDan]

Judgement call best left to the professionals. Dog to the shelter for a determination, respond to the ad, tell them it's at the shelter. Let the shelter make the call. They handle situations like this a whole lot more than any of us finding a stray one time.

 

IMO.

Edited September 6, 2013 by QuietDan

[jphillips63]

Ethical and legal are two different categories. If you know the owners have posted missing dog signs up in this case you do then legally you must contact the owners and return the dog. Once done you can also contact animal control to have them investigated for any animal cruelty then they can remove the dog if they feel fit. If you keep the dog now after knowing its been reported missing then if found in your possession you could face legal fines

sent from my Droid RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk 2

[Chucktshoes]

I guess that's why he didn't ask for advice on the legal end of it, just the ethical. ;)

[bersaguy]

If it were me and I had the dog I would put the best interest of the dog first. It is totally evident that the owners didn't do that. I would get the authorities(Humane Society) involved. Let them investigate the environment in which the dog was being exposed to and let them decide. That clears you of all legal issues and puts it in the hands of them. I hope you took a few pictures of the dog before the bath for evidence to show Humane Society. Once the owners are confronted with the facts they may just surrender it up for adoption rather than deal with all the investigating.............jmho

[UncleJak]

I reported animal abuse once to the sheriff's department. They blew me off. I wish I would've just removed the dog myself.
Sometimes doing the "right" thing (legally) does not work.

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[RED333]

Good on you TMF!!!

[Trekbike]

I'm not saying you guys aren't right on the legal aspect, but please site what laws would be broken for my own knowledge sake. Would it be considered theft of property?

[jgradyc]

I like animals more than I like most people. I say find the dog a loving home where he will be properly cared for. I despise people who neglect animals. 

^This.

 

See my avatar? She showed up in that condition at my house. After seeing the fleas and mats in her fur, I decided that I would not attempt to find the owners because they were not fit to own a dog. She is now one of the cutest little dogs you've ever seen.

 

You should keep the dog or find it a better home.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Once I did the right thing and picked up a Chihuahua.. I  found the owners.. they never thanked me for  keeping her from getting run over. they where white trash.. but  the girl who owned her apparently loved her.. next time she wasn't so lucky.. I guess she ran off again and got run over.. I should have kept her... but sometimes doing the right thing isn't the right thing after all..

 

Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking..I guess when no one is looking, you did the right thing ;)