Getting My Dog Back

[glowdotGlock]

My male lab came up missing back in April (on Mule Day weekeend for the Maury Co. folks) and since then I have put numerous posts on different Facebook sites and many on Craigslist. The last one I posted was about 3 or 4 weeks ago as I have just about given up. Well Tuesday night I have a guy comment that a dog they just looked at adopting looks like mine I have posted. He sends me a link and sure enough, it's him. So I contact the rescue and we confirm it's my dog. I told him I drive a truck and wouldn't be home til' Friday and he said Sat morning is ok. Then I ask where he found him. He got specific and turns out it was less than 800 feet from my rural home. I asked how long he had had him and he said several months. Since about April. The whole time. He has a "re'homing" fee which at first I was more than happy to pay but the more I thought about it my dog was where he was supposed to be. He wasn't 20 miles from home or something. If he wouldn't have gotten picked up he would've just wandered back home like usual. I am very greatful he is still alive and ok but I don't like what happened at all. And the "rescue" he is at is over 20 miles from me. So he got my dog a few hundred feet from my home, takes hime 20+ miles away and puts him up for "sale/fee". Like I said I am ecstatic he is ok and look forward to Saturday but am I entitled to go get him without the fee? (As in not pay to get my dog back) I won't useany names here but the rescue place is not a county/city or public entity. It's a private one. Seems fishy to me.

[bersaguy]

Does not sound on the up and up but most important in my mine would be to get my dog back and pay the fee and then go after them in court. Check with county, city and any one else to see if they are licensed to legally be a Rescue Center or are they just a dog scam outfit...............jmho

[monkeylizard]

Did your dog have tags with your contact info (or a microchip) when he was picked up? If so, wouldn't that be theft and possession of stolen property since he agreed it's your dog and admitted to taking him from near your home? Turning over the dog in exchange for you not pressing charges might seem like a pretty fair deal to him.

 

If you don't keep tags on him, then it would be a reasonable assumption on his part that your dog was a stray. He very well could be a dog lover who didn't want to see the poor guy out on his own. On the plus side, you haven't had to buy dog food for 6 months, so maybe that could factor in to the "re-homing fee"?

[glowdotGlock]

I was almost certain he did have his tag on. The other collar that he uses did not have it on it so I assumed it was but he said there wasn't a tag. I am glad he's fine but he went out wandering every day. He was at home. I kinda feel like I was robbed of a summer with my fishing buddy but that is ok as long as he is fine. I may see if thr guy will take half of his fee. I won't get confrontational because that's just not me but I am not adopting him, just taking him back home. He seems like a decent guy on the phone and if I see what kind of place it is and that it is on the up and up and clean then in all honesty I will probably just pay in entirety but if the place strikes me as a "junkyard for dogs" then I will do a little negotiating and see what I can find out about them.

[Troutburger]

So this guy stole your dog, and is now basically trying to sell it back to you.  If he admitted it was 800 feet from your property, it was likely from the top of your driveway. 

 

EFFE that!

 

Get your hands on your dog and leave.  If he balks call the law and press charges against him and the rescue organization.

 

A person cannot just pick up random dogs, and sell them back for a profit!  Only the local animal shelter has the right to pick up dogs. Honestly, I would be tempted to show up with LE to pick up my dog aka my property.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Troutburger

[glowdotGlock]

That is what I was thinking. I am going to have my phone camera recording in my front pocket.

[glowdotGlock]

I would think too that a rescue organization would check the lost pets sites and whatnot. I flooded the internet with ads for weeks after he went missing. With very thurough ads.

[bersaguy]

I think Troutburger has a good point. I might even find out if I could get and off duty police officer to go with me in plain clothes if you know one. I still would have my focus on getting my dog back but still would do a follow up on the organization to see if they are operating legally and if not I would see about getting a refund. If you have the time you might want to do some checking before you even go to get your dog. Be prepared I guess is what I am saying.............jmho

[glowdotGlock]

I'm a former LEO but in a different county so I know how to deal with people and the public. I have done a little research on the place with not much to be found. Says it's a farm environment. I'm not going to do any negotiating until he is in my sight in my fiance's possession.

[glowdotGlock]

And he may not even ask for a fee since he's mine but the website shows a rehoming fee for him.

[Omega]

I have mixed feeling about this. First, I agree that ANYONE that finds a dog running around should secure the dog if possible and try and find the owner. Some dogs are very street smart and avoid traffic and are very well behaved around wild animals and such but many are not. I feel its best to secure the dog as long as it can be done safely and its not on its own property than to let it run wild and either get run over or shot due to it chasing deer or cattle. Though I would not shoot a dog for it, just not in me, I know many will if they see them running game on their property. My neighbors dogs would bug the heck out of me by running around my property while I has on my stand, even confronting me in front of my small sleep trailer sometimes. I would just chase them away since I knew where they came from but would of not thought twice about shooting one if they charged me but I never seen them chasing anything and they have since been adopted out. I would just offer a "reward" (not his fee)to the guy for his trouble and let it go at that.

[glowdotGlock]

I have mixed feeling about this. First, I agree that ANYONE that finds a dog running around should secure the dog if possible and try and find the owner. Some dogs are very street smart and avoid traffic and are very well behaved around wild animals and such but many are not. I feel its best to secure the dog as long as it can be done safely and its not on its own property than to let it run wild and either get run over or shot due to it chasing deer or cattle. Though I would not shoot a dog for it, just not in me, I know many will if they see them running game on their property. My neighbors dogs would bug the heck out of me by running around my property while I has on my stand, even confronting me in front of my small sleep trailer sometimes. I would just chase them away since I knew where they came from but would of not thought twice about shooting one if they charged me but I never seen them chasing anything and they have since been adopted out. I would just offer a "reward" (not his fee)to the guy for his trouble and let it go at that.

I see what ypu are saying too but he found him and took him to another county.

[56FordGuy]

The rescue may not have a facility nearer to you. Most animal rescues have one building at most, and a lot depend on a network of volunteers to house animals in their homes.

I doubt seriously people are running around stealing dogs to try and sell back to their owners. Most rescues I've been involved with spend far more money than they ever receive caring for animals that may never be adopted out.

[suspiciousmind]

My dog is my best friend and has been for 7 years. If someone took him I would raise HELL to get him back. If I were in your position I would use any means possible to get him back.

Once back in your home, make sure he has the proper ID on a tag, microchip or anything else secured on him so this doesn't happen again.

Anyone that shoots a dog just for being on their property is a pretty big piece of sh*t, btw. I never understood why some property owners did that. There's a shooting instructor in Middle TN that I heard brags about shooting dogs that have gotten into his yard. Some people deserve a special place in hell.

[wileecoyote]

I'm a huge dog lover and I have a passionate dislike for anyone that tries to scam people. If I feel that I'm wronged I don't hesitate to escalate through courts or other methods to get a fair resolution. And I hate to see any animals hurt, killed, chased, harassed, or mistreated in any way.

In this case I think it comes down to the fact that your dog was running loose off your property, something you admit that he does often. Thus he was very likely off of your property when he was picked up. Whether he was picked up by a stranger or the dog pound doesn't really matter, it is against the law to let your dogs run loose, and it is entirely lawful for a loose dog to be detained or impounded. Now the question of ownership transfer gets a little complicated based on various factors, but in general if your dog was allowed to run loose and he was subsequently detained without any chip or collar to identify the owner, then a shelter or private person only has to wait a short time to see if an owner comes forward, and they generally only have to make a minimum attempt at advertising, and then if no owner comes forward to claim the dog it becomes their property. In the case of the dog pound or many shelters he would have been euthanized in just a few weeks, so you are very lucky that someone caught him and put him in a rescue shelter instead.

If my dog had gone missing I would have immediately put signs up everywhere within a several mile area, contacted all of the nearby shelters and vets and neighbors, and checked back with them often until he was found. But then I never let my dog run loose, and he is microchipped, and he always has a collar on with multiple tags, he even has a special tag with his own email address and toll free hot line announcing a reward if found, so it's pretty unlikely that he would ever be missing to begin with.

In your case I would have gone to get the dog immediately, taking off work or changing plans if needed, and gladly paid any fee or reward to whoever kept him alive. Even if they offered me a free return, I would have insisted on giving them a nice sum to compensate for their caring and feeding for the dog for so long. And then I would immediately take the dog to a vet for a full checkup, have him microchipped, get him a new collar with ID and rabies tags, and find a way to fence him in or secure him so he doesn't run loose in the future.

The only way I could see you going on the offensive here would be if your dog was properly tagged, microchipped, and detained on your land but someone trespassed to steal your dog and deliberately kept him away from you. But you would need a lot of evidence to prove that, and it would be highly unlikely to occur.

In any event I'm happy that you did find your dog, and I hope the return goes smoothly, and that you don't let him run loose again in the future. Edited October 16, 2014 by wileecoyote

[Djay3]

Congrat's on locating your dog thanks to your smart use of the internet!

Personally, I would be so happy to get my pet back, I would not risk "rocking the boat" over a possible fee.
Only after getting him home would I pursue a protest if things seemed fishy.

Like you said the fee may even be waived under the circumstances.

Securing his tags and implanting a microchip will give you some extra peace of mind.

Bottom line, you are getting your fishing buddy back! : )

[gregintenn]

You might give the local sheriff's office where this place is located a call and feel them out as to whether they know much about the place. If there's a government employed dog catcher in the locality of the place, he might have some insight on them as well.

 

How much is the fee?

 

If it wasn't unreasonable, and I didn't otherwise smell a rat, I'd probably just pay it and get my dog back.

 

My dog doesn't wear a nametag, but he's somewhat a celebrity around here. I think more people know him than me.

Edited October 16, 2014 by gregintenn

[glowdotGlock]

You might give the local sheriff's office where this place is located a call and feel them out as to whether they know much about the place. If there's a government employed dog catcher in the locality of the place, he might have some insight on them as well.

How much is the fee?

If it wasn't unreasonable, and I didn't otherwise smell a rat, I'd probably just pay it and get my dog back.

My dog doesn't wear a nametag, but he's somewhat a celebrity around here. I think more people know him than me.

It is $80 which isn't much. It was just the point. The land they say he was walking off of is family farm land. Not my family but neighbors and friends. He is also somewhat of a "celebrity" in my neighborhood. I can see how a stranger wouldn't know that. I will most likely pay and just call it a reward and shake hands and be on my way. I let him sleep in the kitchen on cool or rainy nights but any other time he is free to roam around our woods and land. I don't like to pen one up or put them on a chain.

[Hozzie]

For $80, just pay it and don't even worry about it.  You will have your dog back and that is what matters.  I would pay multiple times that if my dog went missing, whether it was purposeful or not.

 

You don't have to like the guy, but at least your dog is alive.

[gregintenn]

I understand.

 

Unless I was pretty sure it was a scam, I'd gladly give the money and be glad to have my dog back.

 

Sometimes even people with good intentions make bad decisions. You'll likely be happier in the long run if you stick with that theory.

[JeffL]

My dog would have eaten more than $80 in food since then, so I'd probably pay it.

[dralarms]

I agree, pay the fee. Then have your dog microchipped.

[glowdotGlock]

Thanks guys. I was wanting to see what the consensus was and it mostly seems to be pay the fee. That is what I will do.

[glowdotGlock]

How much does the microchip cost on average? My previous lab that died at 15 had one but the owner before had it put in.

[56FordGuy]

I think it's $40-50 usually.