any of you do rescue??

My name is Nicole we live in Illinois. on July12, we adopted a black lab that was left at a local campground. The rescue lady "Jessie" said she had had the dog for three weeks so we adopted Zoe who is FABULOUS Anyway today she called me saying the owners from Indiana had contacted her the day we adopted her and said they couldn't afford to come back and get her she told them that the dog had already been adopted and basically that was it. TODAY, she called me and asked if we would give the dog back? The owners really wanted her back and had been calling "jessie" everyday harassing her. I told her NO, I mean I am sorry but if you leave a dog at a campground and then wait 3 weeks to call about her then wait almost another two weeks, the dog isn't a priority. My children LOVE ZOE. My question is is there anyway the original owners could MAKE us give back the dog??? I am so upset... thanks for the replies. Nicole 291/214/150?

That sounds like a really tough situation to be in. I'm sorry to have to say this to you, because I know how easy it is to get attached and I know your kids would be disappointed, but if it were me -- I would arrange to give her back. I'm saying this because I LOVE MY DOG, as if she were my child. We travel once or twice a month in an RV for weekend getaways and take our boston terrier with us. She has been microchipped, wears a collar with 3 tags - 1 with our VET Info, 1 tag with our names & contact info and 1 with her microchip information. I'm a fanatic about keeping her on a leash. Even with all those things, accidents happen and I'm horrified at the thought of her getting lost. I would hope that if it did happen, she would have her collar on, or she would be taken to a vet who could scan for her microchip. If she were rescued, I would hope that someone could find a way to contact us and I would move heaven and earth to get her back. Have you considered she was lost and not necessarily just left behind?Without talking to the original owners, there is no way to know their cir****tances and the reason why they didn't pursue retrieving her 2 weeks ago, but they do want her back now. I would tell the kids that Zoe had been lost and now her family wants her back. Maybe they could understand that if one of them were lost, you would hope an good family would take care of them until you could find them and take them home. I'm sorry not to be able to tell you to keep her. But I'm looking at the situation from the other side of the fence. Regina

Regina, Thank you for your reply. I called the lady who we got Zoe from, Jessie and asked some questions since she has talked to the original owners.ZOe's story is this: The family had been here camping and "forgot" the dog, she had no tags at all, they decided to check the newspaper online 2 weeks later and saw the ad jessie placed,didn't get around to calling because they were busy. I guess what bothers me is that they were willing to let her go the first day they called about the ad, and now two weeks later they want her back. I guess the original owner's child now misses the dog and they want us to pay to send her back. I guess what bothers me is that they were willing to let her go the first day they called about the ad, and now two weeks later they want her back. Jessie called the local ASPCA here and checked and what we did followed all of the rules for rescue/adopting a dog, in fact she had the rules wrong and thought she had to wait 2 weeks to adopt her and waited nearly 4 weeks before she found a good family, I guess in our county you only have to wait 7 days and if no one has claimed the dog, then it can be placed for adoption so the officer said legally it is our dog but that doesn't make the other owners stop calling jessie. She is upset and I don't know what to do now.we have an appointment at the vet tomorrow to have her chipped. Any one have anything like this happen, Jessie has placed over 30 dogs and never had anything like this so she is jsut as upset as we are. Thanks, Nicole

It sounds like you shouldn't have to give her back then. I didn't know there were regulations and guidelines about timeframes. Jessie could state those facts to the original owners (which she probably has) and follow up with telling them she'll file harrassment charges if they continue to call her. I don't know, but sometimes just the threat of filing charges is enough to get people to back down. AND if you had decided to return her, YOU certainly wouldn't be responsible for paying for it. Good Luck and LONG LIVE ZOE! Regina

I would keep her if I was you. It sounds like the only reason the original owners want her back all of a sudden is to quiet a whiny kid. They can get their whiny kid a new dog & Jessie can get her phone number changed!

I thought I would update you all. Jessie called again and told me the owners called to see if we would send the dog back to them and she told them NO, in our county after 7 days any animal not claimed can be adopted out. She told them that they had more than enough time to call about the dog if they had wanted her back but since no one called she adopted her out to a very good home! She also told them that the dog had already been with us more than 7 days and we had already had her microchipped so there was NO recourse with the law. The original owner said some nasty things to her and hung up. Jessie is now getting a new phone number and ZOE is laying on the floor under my 4 year old "listening" to a story...not sure who is enjoying it more the dog or the girl! Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. Nicole 291-218-150

Nicole, I'm glad it worked out for you. I hope you know my first reply was based my not knowing all the details of the problem. It sounds like Zoe got the best result too! Regina

No way! Do not give the dog back. I ended up doing that and I am still sorry that I did not stick to my guns. That dog was left behind by a negligent family. You take good care of her and give her the home she deserves.

Great Story!!! Lucky Dog and very lucky children. God Bless you and your Family. Tere

I am so glad you did not give that poor baby back. I would go nuts if any of my dogs were missing and I would definatly not wait any time at all to call and get them back. These people sound horrible and should not own a dog at all. I would no more "forget" my dog than i would "forget" a child. there is NO excuse. I hope that you and your new baby have a long and happy time together!!!