‘She said the dog was so skinny because she was on vacation for 2 weeks and her dog sitter was underfeeding the dog.’: Neglectful Californian owner demands rescuer returns her abandoned puppy, only to discover the puppy had been adopted to a loving family

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 9, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Neglected doggos are a breed of their own, and they simply break hearts wherever they go. You can see the look of desperation in their eyes, they way that they yearn for even the gentlest and meaningless of touches, so long as it is not connected to pain. And the abandoned pupper protagonist of this story is unfortunately no different.

With a questionable backstory as to how the poor pupper ended up looking the way she did, and a previous owner who likely has some troubles staying balanced in their day-to-day life, it is incredibly sad to say that this story is much more common than it might appear. But what is truly wonderful about this story in particular is that is comes with one of the happiest and most heartwarming of endings, just as the darling doggo deserved to have.
 

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  • 01
    The other day my partner found an emaciated dog running in the street. No collar or tag but had a bandana and had been recently groomed.
    via potatomami
  • 02
    Brought the dog home and looked for any posts of missing dogs online and ended up posting about a found dog with pictures. We gave the dog
    via potatomami
  • 03
    a bath because she was covered in fleas and took her to the vet to see if she had a microchip. As suspected no chip and the vet said the dog is essentially ours. Later
    via potatomami
  • 04
    found out that the dog has worms and may explain why the dog is so thin. Later that night the owner texts my partner about the dog and sends us pictures to confirm ownership. We got in
    via potatomami
  • 05
    touch with her the next day and she tells us that we could keep the dog because she feels like the dog could have a better life somewhere else. They
    via potatomami

  • Erm, yeah that would be more than safe to say so considering your dog got out into the wide world without any support or supervision. Jheez, the least this owner could have done was to drop the dog off at the local shelter, rather than leaving it to pointlessly roam the streets until hunger or something else got to it.

  • 06
    cut down her only tree in the yard so the dog won't have any shade come summer and they keep her outside a lot of the time due to their lifestyle? Idk. She said the dog was
    via potatomami
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10551028480
    via OlgaOvcharenko 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
    so skinny because she was on vacation for 2 weeks and her dog sitter was underfeeding the dog. The dog was only out on the street for a few hours but looked like she had been on the streets for weeks.
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  • 09
    The next day the owner asks for pictures and then tells us she wants her dog back.
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  • 10
    Our friends and other people on social media who responded to our posts saw the terrible condition she is in and can tell this dog has been neglected and don't think we should give her back.
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  • Oh lordy lord, this owner is most certainly of the mentally unbalanced kind and it is all the more heartbreaking for that reason. After all, people like that cannot control their responses all too well and sometimes they say without thinking things through. It does not mean they need to be taking care of other lives, especially when their own needs a lot of attention, but you can see where she is coming from.

  • 11
    I am not actively looking for a dog at the moment. I have 2 indoor cats at home and we don't have a yard for dogs. 1b apartment isn't conducive for an active pup. My
    via potatomami
  • 12
    partner and I have a soft spot for animals and will often take animals in need and try to adopt them to friends or send them to rescues or shelters. Our local shelter
    via potatomami
  • 13
    said if we take the dog there and the owner comes to get her then they will release the dog to her and just provide advice on how to care for the dog. They could not
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  • 14
    guarantee that she would not be e d due to overcrowding. If we can't care for the dog the way I would want to then I want this baby to go to someone that will give her all of the attention and love she needs.
    via potatomami
  • 15
    Cheezburger Image 10551028736
    via Paul 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
    My close friend made me second guess myself for not giving the dog back to the owner so I needed some good ol advice of the internet. She was
    via potatomami
  • 17
    siding with the owner that she is busy with her family but really neglect is neglect. If you are fully consumed by your kids and don't have time to care for an animal you should not have a pet. No
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  • 18
    excuse for fleas and not noticing your dog has worms in their p. p. I am willing to care for an animal in need but this rescue has been such a stressful situation. Guilt
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  • 19
    for taking a dog that belongs to someone else but would also feel guilt giving a dog back to their owner that is going to neglect them. Also not feeling that special bond just yet. It's only been a few days but I've had bonds be pretty
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  • 20
    immediate before. Just real confused. Would appreciate some feedback from y'all. TIA. Edit: thank you everyone for your feedback. The general consensus is to not give this dog back to the owner. Whether we
    via potatomami
  • 21
    rehome this dog directly to a loving owner/family or friend or find a local rescue that will not euthanize her we will find a good place for her. We will foster her until we find a good solution.
    via potatomami
  • 22
    Edit 2: don't know if anyone will see this final update but the pup has been adopted! She is in the best new home and will be spoiled rotten. We fostered her for 3 weeks and bonds were being built but just not right timing for us. Super duper
    via potatomami
  • 23
    excited for her! I'll be able to check on her in the future so best outcome for sure. And to those saying the owner can take me to court. I'm sure they could but they don't know my name, phone number or where I live.
    via potatomami
  • 24
    They didn't try calling my partner from a different number to follow up on the dog. I doubt they would take legal action when she didn't care about the dog to begin with.
    via potatomami

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demands weeks skinny dogs puppy abandoned dog sitting dog owner california reddit story under adopted neglect family dog story feeding return loving vacation rescue
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