‘After 72 hours… We aren’t legally obligated to return her': Couple face dilemma after falling in love with stray puppy, but then discovering she already has a home, a toxic one

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Dec 10, 2023 9:00 AM EST

What would you do if you found a stray puppy who looked malnourished and beat up and you rescued her? You took all the proper steps before falling in love: You got her checked at the vet for records and a microchip and nothing. You even scoured the internet and called all the nearby shelters to see if anyone was looking for her, and nothing. So you allow yourself to fall in love with this pup and welcome her into your heart. You think this puppy came to you for a reason and it is now your furbaby. But then a neighbor finds a random facebook post that looks like the puppy and is from around where you found the puppy. But your neighbor also says that these people seemed unenthused about this dog and seemed to have a home that did not provide proper care for a dog. What would you do? Would you still return the dog or would you keep her? The dog is already looking much healthier and her personality is starting to come out and you don't want to return her to a potentially toxic environment? If you just wait a few more days, you do not legally need to return the pup. So what would you do? What is the right thing to do here? This is the exact dilemma one couple came to Reddit asking help in—see their story and Redditors mixed responses below!

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    Cheezburger Image 9847072256
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    Posted by u/JUICEmanDAN 3 days ago Stray puppy followed us home from bar at 3am and we don't want to give her up Abstract Question And a week later we've decided to keep her. She's an amazing,
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    kind, gentle dog and we already love her. Over the passed week we've contacted multiple shelters to see if anyone reached out about this particular dog and left our info to be contacted. We also had her checked for a micro chip and she doesn't have one.
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    Yesterday our neighbor came across a post on a lost dog Facebook page and it was definitely for this dog we have and another. We learned her actual name. And the last place the dog was seen is where she started to follow us from. She doesn't respond to the name we
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    learned. She's barely potty trained, probably about 6-7 months old. We saw what the condition of the home is that she's living in and it's not great. The neighbor that showed us this post just so happened to find the other dog included in the Facebook post. They reached out to the owner and said it was a weird exchange.
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    The owner was unexcited on the phone and was unwilling to compensate $100 for the food and toys that the neighbor had bought claiming the toys were used. The owner said they filed a police report but also said it would be bad news for both parties if the police were involved. The owner doesn't
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    have any papers to prove the dogs are his and said the dogs are his 16yr old brothers. The dog we have also has a rash as well as scabs on her inner legs. We personally have not reached out to the owner yet. We feel like this dog would have a better quality of life with us.
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    How do you lose a dog at 3am, have no micro chip, and not contact the shelters around at the very least. Why isn't she potty trained yet and why doesn't she respond to her old name? The dilemma is basically this.
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    After 72 hours from what we have read, we become responsible for the dog and we aren't legally obligated to return her. We want to take her to the vet and get her micro chipped. But does that make us bad people? It seems like she's been
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    in a home that kinda wants her and kinda doesn't care. But at the same time who are we to decide how they treat her. We're sad to think she would be worse of but we also don't know for sure that's how it would be.
    via u/JUICEmanDAN
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    MaddMadd-19 hr. ago Lol you a thief then period making a heck of a lot of assumptions give the dog back
    via u/MaddMadd-
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    Xanadrine 12 hr. ago Wow even the law says you cant neglect or abuse an animal, you make it sound like no matter how bad it was give the dog back. F that!
    via u/Xanadrine
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    Several-Pineapple353 20 hr. ago · edited 20 hr. ago ● I've been here before, except the puppy was found in our field behind our house. She was 6 weeks old about a half mile from her house. I knew immediately where this puppy came from because of the breed. The breeder lived close by. I saw the condition of the puppy and called a vet. I
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    decided from the second I seen her I wasn't giving her back. 6 months passed before the breeder realized I had one of her puppies. We ended up in a court battle over her. I wasn't going to let her win either. I had to prove the puppy was mine and she had to do the same. I entered 50 pictures of her into evidence from the day I found her up until the court date. I
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    obtained vet records, receipts proving everything that I provided for this puppy. I left no stone unturned. On the day of the court date the breeder walked in with a picture of a puppy that wasn't even mine. I was allowed to keep my puppy.
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    Her name is Zoey. It's been 3 years and she's still the ruler of my house. I love her so much. If I could go back, I'd fight again for her. I don't recommend stealing dogs at all. It is a pain if you get drug into the situation that I was in.
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    However, I'm glad this puppy found you. It sounds like this puppy found themselves a great home. I'm happy for you both. ***editing to add*** I also put cameras on my house because I just had a feeling I needed too. Two days in a row I caught two different cars I didn't recognize in my driveway. On the 3rd day, I
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    caught the breeder trying to break into my house. The puppy wasn't even at my house. Be prepared for what might happen. People are weird and crazy!
    via u/Several-Pineapple353
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    THE_TRUE_UCKO · 3 hr. ago If you're afraid the dog will go back to poor conditions, take her to the shelter. Tell them you found her and ask to be first on the list to adopt her. If they can't prove ownership or pay fees and fines,
    via u/THE_TRUE_*UCKO
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    registration, spay, etc., they won't pick her up, and she'll be legally yours. If they pick her up, then they cared enough to at least go through some hoops, so maybe they won't be as bad as you fear.
    via u/THE_TRUE_*UCKO
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    A-typ-self 3 days ago Police reports are public records in the US. You might be able to find out if it truly was reported. I would be vary wary of turning a dog over to someone who can't prove ownership in any way. Vet records, shot records etc.
    via u/A-typ-self
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    Distracted By Dummies · 1 day ago Keep her, love her, move on. You're not bad people.
    via u/DistractedByDummies
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    HogwartsTraveler - 23 hr. ago Keep her. She was clearly in a bad situation. You saved her.
    via u/HogwartsTraveler
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    Eaton Bussy 18 hr. ago If television has taught us anything, it's that in situations like these, you and the original owner each stand equal distance from the dog and call it over. Whoever the dog goes to gets to keep it!
    via u/EatonBussy
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    IReally LikeMooses 1 day ago ● My dog is a breed notorious for taking forever to house train. She's also allergy prone and spent a lot of time at the vets last year (we have 2-3 different vets we go to). Her meds aren't working now so she's slowly turning red and itchy and sometimes scabby while we figure something else out AA
    via u/IReallyLikeMooses
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    her food was $89.99 for 22 lb. At one point. She's also kept more lean due to her joints (people thinks she's starving in comparison to other of her breed). She's currently laying on my bed after I bathed her, wiped her itchy paws, booty hole, ears and face and smells like organic vanilla and oatmeal. Of course,
    via u/IReallyLikeMooses
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    I'd never let her wander off unsupervised, but she's also a breed prone to being stolen. I worry when I leave for work, someone will break into my house and steal her and she could get loose and picked up. That or a tornado hitting the house or a fire happening and burning the house down with her in it 99
    via u/IReallyLikeMooses
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    Sometimes you just don't know. I would be absolutely gutted if someone stole her thinking she wasn't loved and cared for and wanted to keep her.
    via u/IReallyLikeMooses
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    Front-Cartoonist-974 16 hr. ago If she went missing you would have notified everyone, have signs up, pics with an explanation about conditions. This isn't that.
    via u/Front-Catoonist974
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    19 hr. ago Lawyer_Lady3080 Morally, I agree with keeping a suffering dog from a negligent home. You have made reasonable efforts to reunify your pup with their owner and as a dog owner, if I lost one of my dogs I would be losing my mind checking every
    via u/Lawyer_Lady3080
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    shelter and running around town (though mine are microchipped). I also agree with the comments saying that if they can't prove ownership, this whole thing sounds legally sketchy as well. I don't see how it matters that it's really the brother's dog. Someone should
    via u/Lawyer_Lady3080
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    have vet/vaccination records. If they harbored a dog without an up-to-date rabies vaccine, that's a misdemeanor here. The untreated rash and scabs sound like conditions could rise to animal cruelty. Regardless, I think you're morally in the clear.
    via u/Lawyer_Lady3080

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