"I didn't choose for this special dog to change my life so much": A rescued dog's journey from underweight stray to beloved support animal sparks a social media firestorm after the original owner's tragic past is revealed

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Aug 8, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

We say this all the time but it is true, dog rescues are complicated. You are dealing with so many unknowns and your only aim is to make sure that the pupper in front of you will be cared for and live a happy life, that it can be tough to know what the right thing to do is.

Instinctually, each and every one of us would want to scoop up the poor pupper and whisk them away to pet smart to buy them every toy and treat they want. But the reality of rescuing a doggo is usually far from that, much as today's rescuer found out. In a case of mistaken identity, our rescuer thought she was saving a sweet soul, when in fact she sort of stole one. Which left her with one question, which we are now going to pose to you, would you be able to give up the animal that you thought you saved from starvation?
 

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  • 01
    About 7 months ago a friend found a dog near her house. I took her in and called animal control. They said to bring her in to look for a microchip. She was underweight with dirty fur. AC couldn't find
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 02
    a microchip so they said I could hold onto her for a week and they would list her on their website and if nobody claimed her I could adopt her. So that's exactly what happened.
    via whosedogisitanyway

  • Well, this rescue sure has started out rather peaceful. Usually it is the beginnings or middles of these recuse stories whether things tend to get complicated. So it is rather nice for once for things to tick along smoothly. We can only hope things don’t go too far down hill from here.

  • 03
    My dog now has shiny fur and is very healthy. She is polite and walks well on a leash. She does lots of tricks. I have do nכ * and anxiety and she's my support animal. She's honestly the light of my life.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 04
    Last month I joined a Facebook group for the same unusual purebreed that my dog is. I posted a picture of her in the group. A woman was tagged and a few hours later she DMs me. She
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 05
    said my dog was her dog and she was so thankful I found her and wanted to arrange to come get her. She offered to pay me for taking good care of her.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 06
    I thought she was trying to scam me since she lived across the country but when I looked into it I found her IG with alot of dog pictures and videos.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 07
    White Labrador dog sitting on the floor against a white background
    via Pixel-Shot via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 08
    My dog has very unique markings so it was unmistakeably the same dog as the one in her pictures. My dog is a show champion and had a lot of training to do obedience, agility and a few others I've never heard of. She has alot of
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 09
    fancy titles too. My dog was clearly well cared for, well trained, and well loved. She said her house caught fire last year and she lost everything, including my dog who ran away. Nobody knows how
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 10
    she traveled so far or what happened between when she got lost and when my friend found her. She never stopped looking for my dog. She even had a video of my dog as a super cute puppy getting a microchip. No idea why
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 11
    the shelter and my vet couldn't find it but my dog had one at some point. Here's the part where I might be TA.I told the
    via whosedogisitanyway

  • Oh, wow, this doggo sure does have a whole load of love around them. To make a new pawrent instantly fall in love with them, and for the old pawrent to be so in love with them to never give up hope of finding them again. This cannot end well for anyone really, hopefully our two pupper pawrents will be civil and understand where each side is coming from…

  • 12
    woman I appreciated the great job she did with my dog for the first few years of her life (she's 5) and I was sorry to hear about her circumstances but I couldn't give up my beloved girl. She's my
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 13
    support animal so I'm not even sure I could live without her. I offered to send her pictures regularly but she turned really nasty. I got tons of hateful messages from people I don't even know.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 14
    I had panic attacks whenever I got notifications because her friends acted like it's my fault. I didn't choose for this special dog to change my life so much anymore than she chose for my dog to get lost. I
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 15
    Black and white puppy sitting on a couch with cream colored cushions
    via Dusan Petkovic via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 16
    ultimately blocked her because she wouldn't leave me alone. Since she was listed with the shelter for the hold period and no microchip was found, I've adopted her and she's mine. I am
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 17
    legally in the right but am I morally wrong? I know she loves my dog and wants her back but I can't picture a life without her. Not one where I'm happy anyway. If I could clone my dog and give this chick one I would.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 18
    IPretendi... Though it's incredibly difficult... It's not "your dog" you just thought it was. Put yourself in her shoes.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 19
    Jaedeite the woman lost her dog to a house fire. Give the dog back to her- you did a good deed saving a dog but her original owner misses her clearly.
    via whosedogisitanyway
  • 20
    selfish, and cruel. And you can bet she has papers on that dog. Update us when she takes your to court. I'd like a happy ending.
    via whosedogisitanyway

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reveal skinny dogs life journey owner reddit story didnt past choose social media emotional support animal dog story change rescued special original
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