I was given a dog to watch for a couple of weeks,that was in Jan.Now they want to pick up the dog late august?

My friends son whose girlfriend,was kinda living with my friend (shes 15) while she was there she brought her dog cause her mom, cathy didnt want it anymore.The dog was infested with fleas.She was deflea'd by my friend,who paid for it.My friend Jane did not want the dog.After a while my friend having her own problems, asked me to keep the dog for week or 2 that was in Jan. Jane dropped off the dog with a bag of food. the dog it had a terrible ear infection, we cleared it up,cut her nails & bathed her.The dog seemed like it had been mistreated ,it was very withdrawn,&cowarded when spoken to.In feb the girls mom,Cathy called,I asked if the dog was up to date on her,shots she said she didnt know.She said she wanted her dog back, I told her to come pick her up she never did. We have been taking care of the dog since which is 6 months.She has become outgoing & her coat is shiney&healthy. We have been buying all the dog supplies,vet bills.We have grown to love the dog. What rights do we have

2007-07-10T15:13:48Z

I live in Long island ny.

your aunt flo2007-07-10T14:21:40Z

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I don't know about rights under the law, but will do a bit of research and see if I can edit my reply if I find anything. Also, assuming you are in the US, laws can vary from state to state. Here is a site that might be worth looking at. It's for New York, but there are links to other states too:

http://ny.urbanhound.com/houndLaw/theLawyerIsIn.asp

It's worth considering having a conversation with the original dog owner. The fact that they dumped this dog on you and never came to pick it up sounds as though they are irresponsible. Maybe they had good reasons, you don't give their side fo the story.

At the very least, if you do end up having to give this dog back to its original owner, you should absolutely be reimbursed for everything that you have spent on it. Do you have receipts? Add up your costs, and I'm sure they'll run into the thousands. Maybe this irresponsible dog owner won't want the dog back if they have to give you thousands back first!!!

Anonymous2007-07-10T14:37:37Z

Wow. NOW I remember why I have contracts! I had a similar situation recently. When the person asked for help (foster care), I asked her to sign a contract stating that I was to foster the dog for 2 months, I had a stipulation that at the end of the two months, if I hadn't heard from the owner, I was legally free to keep or place the dog as I saw fit, or negotiate another contract. The owner swore she'd be able to take the dog in three weeks, blah, blah, blah. Two months later, the day before the contract was up, the owner called and said she signed a lease on a place but wasn't allowed to keep the dog. Could I keep her for a year, and see what happened then? <shake head> Talked her out of the idea and placed the dog in a great new home.

I don't know about the law where you live, but in PA, if you've had a dog two weeks, without any type of contract indicating otherwise, the dog is yours. Certainly sounds as if the dog is better off with you anyway. I can't imagine any judge awarding the dog to them without giving you compensation for expenses. If push comes to shove, you can probably get a lawyer to fight it for you, but I don't know what the costs would be. I'll be praying you get the dog.

kiesha2016-05-19T02:36:57Z

@ byb- The origin of the Labrador retriever isn't clear, however they are considered British in origin. The original dogs in the breed were thought to be brought over from Labrador to England, however, they were mixed with other sporting breeds there to create the actual breed. I disagree with Canada (not being confrontational, just voicing another view) The law regarding purebreds does not only apply to dogs but all animals. It is rarely enforced and cares only a fine as a penalty. I am willing to bet that a few states have a similar law since livestock has always been a vital part of the economy. Dogs, not so much. Not to mention that Canada has zero laws to protect service animals such as Police dogs and horses. Not all US states do either but at least some do. I agree with dog on a rope. Germany all the way. They produced some great working breeds and we proceeded to ruin them by breeding working dogs with pet attitudes.

borderbethie2007-07-10T15:00:24Z

She abandoned the dog. Add up all the bills you have for the dog-grooming, food, vet bills etc. Then call a local boarding facility and find out what they charge per day for taking care of a dog. Multiply this by how many days you had the dog. If she comes back or calls tell her that she will have to pay for all the expenses and your time taking care of the dog to get the dog back. You can also call your local court house and see what laws there are on abandoning animals-or the SPCA may have that info since they deal with this all the time.

Angie C2007-07-10T14:39:20Z

I'm sorry I have no advice but it sounds like you already have some good advice. I just wanted to offer an opinion. Do Not give up the dog. Do whatever you have to from offering to buy it for a small amount (like $20) all the way to contacting a lawyer. This is your dog now. If they were SO concerned about it before, they should have picked it up before when they said they would. I'm also guessing that they never contacted you as to why they didn't pick up the dog or to reschedule. By not doing so, they have abandoned the dog and should have no legal rights to the dog. Good luck to you and YOUR dog!

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