Stuck In A Difficult Situation...

[Graceful-Lily]

I received a letter from an animal law office because the lady who owned my dog before wants him back badly. They wrote a letter explaining the situation further and said they'd "compensate me generously" for the all the trouble caused and to "help me find a new dog for my family". I'm not sure what to do with this. They even sent old photos of her and my dog. It isn't my fault, the police, animal services and everyone involved are the ones that screwed up and now I'm left in this awkward situation. I had told the shelter that I'd be keeping him back in May. They did let her (the old owner) know that I would be keeping him. And after all these months, she still wants him back and has now got lawyers involved. The letter was sent to the shelter and then forwarded to me since they aren't allowed to release my information to her.

Boy do I have a headache...

What should I do? What would you do? I'm afraid she'll come after me outside of all this because we live in the same city. I'm not that great at making decisions for myself so I would love some exterior input. I do really love this dog and we are perfect for each other and together. But, I feel really bad for her. They said she is severely depressed and that "these dogs are like children to her". There was another dog that the old owner had that got adopted the same time I adopted mine but I didn't exchange contact information with her unfortunately. Wish I did because I would have asked her if she was getting phone calls too. I feel scared to leave the house with him or go into the city because I'm afraid this woman will see him, identify him and approach me.

I mean, if she went through the trouble of finding lawyers and hiring them, writing this letter and having it sent to me after all these months, she must really want her dogs back.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[tabbysia]

Did she give away the dog voluntarily, or was it a case where the dog was lost, taken to a shelter, and then adopted by you? If she chose to give the dog away, then even though you may feel bad for the owner, I don't think that you should return the dog. It sounds like she is not able to provide a stable home for the dog if she had to give him away along with ANOTHER dog just months ago. Who's to say that her situation won't change again in a few months, and the dog will end up back at the shelter? If the dog has been in a stable, loving home with you and the two of you have bonded, then it really wouldn't be fair to uproot the dog's life again. If the dog really is like her child, then she would understand that and want what's best for him.

Also, the letter from the lawyer is probably just to scare you into doing what she wants. If you adopted the dog legally, there is really not anything she or her lawyer can do about it. She doesn't have your contact info either, so that's a plus.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

She got into a situation with someone and ended up being arrested and locked up. The dogs were taken from her home. She had no way of contacting anyone until she was released.

Her dogs were extremely stressed out. I mean, it took me months to get my little guy to eat. That is how stressed he was. I literally had to spoon feed him for months. He finally started settling in and has a huge appetite now. We are bonded but he's very insecure and lacks confidence. Probably from being babied from a young age.

It's not fun not being able to go out because I feel anxious that she will see us and cause a scene in public. And now, whenever I look at him, I just keep remembering all I've been through.

 

[tabbysia]

If she is getting arrested, then her home life is possibly very unstable. The dog could be insecure and lack confidence not just because of being in a new environment but because of the chaos in his old home. I don't know what situation caused her to get arrested, but my sister once adopted a dog that had been placed in a shelter after being removed from a home in which both partners had been arrested for domestic violence. The dog was very fearful of everyone.

It sounds like you have done a good job with him. Unless she was framed for a crime she did not commit, she kind of brought the situation on herself. If she gets the dog back and gets arrested again, he could end up in another home altogether. Of course, I don't know the whole story, so it's really up to you to do what you think is best for the dog. If you are that afraid of this lady being crazy enough to come after you and cause a scene though, maybe she shouldn't be entrusted with any living creature.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

I would get a consultation from a lawyer. The consultation may even be free You need to know what your legal rights are so you can make an informed decision. I have a feeling the law is on your side. Either way knowing would keep you from getting bullied by her lawyer and will be prepared in case she takes any further steps So sorry you and your dog have been put in this situation

 

[jcat]

Have you talked to the shelter management, or did they just forward the letter to you? Are they advising you to return the dog, or simply warning you that she wants to get him back, so you shouldn't post any photos of him or use his name, if it's unusual, online? If you have a legal adoption agreement, the onus is on the authorities that seized the dogs, so you don't have to fear legal repercussions, and they're the ones who have to deal with the lawyers, not you.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to contact the SPCA in your province so they can tell you who has oversight of shelters and can advise you of your rights as an adopter.

Laws vary depending on location, of course, but where I work (at a German shelter), a pet is never returned if it's been confiscated and released for adoption or surrendered by the owner. There are legal parameters for confiscation, including a time limit for appealing the authorities' decision. If the original owner is offering financial compensation, it sounds as if she has no legal recourse.

IMO, it's not in the dog's interest to be returned to an unstable home, whether due to difficulties with law enforcement or (mental) health problems or addiction that would preclude proper care.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I am very sorry you are going through this. Really am. I also have dogs that I love with all my heart and would not want anyone taking them away from me.

I also go with seeking an advice from a lawyer. It is not fair for this poor dog to just be moved here and there and may cause stress and trauma again. And it is also not fair for you that after all these time and after all what you have done for this dog and the bond that you both now share, he will be taken away from you. It is correct when one poster above said that if she really loves her dog then she should just keep him where he now feels happy and secure, and that is WITH YOU.

I wish you the best of luck. Hang in there.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

This is a mess and it's not your fault. The shelter should have to deal with this not foward you letters. Get advice from a lawyer maybe they can contact all concerned with this mess and the shelter will step up and take responsibility. It's not fair that you have to be out of pocket because of their mess. If she does approach you call the police if you feel threatened if she is being reasonable maybe she'll understand none of this is on you. I hope this gets sorted soon and you and YOUR dog can enjoy life together

 

[kosame]

Sounds like doggo was in a turbulent situation before, I don't know everyone involved so I can't be certain. But if I were the owner, and my dogs were confiscated from me, I would just be happy they were safe and cared for now.
I would consult a lawyer, but I would be pretty dead set on not giving a dog back to a situation, where, for all I know, former owner could be arrested again/I would never know what happened to dog.
Your compassion and sympathy for the former owner is admirable <3

 

[Mia6]

First off I would get advice from an attorney, Legal Aid is free. The situation is tragic because it sounds like she truly loves the dog but perhaps she had a prob with substance abuse? IMHO, if she truly loves him she should let him stay with you because the stress would be horrible for him.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply to my thread. I appreciate it.

jcat - The shelter had not contacted me prior. They just forwarded the letter which I found shocking. They could have at least sent a email warning me or called me and asked if I wanted to see it. They (the shelter) attached their own letter saying that they are not involved in this and if I want to reach out, I have to get into contact with the law office the old owner is working with. And that's another thing, they haven't stated what the dogs life was prior to the arrest and what the nature of the arrest was. But the shelter did say that they didn't see a reason for her not to provide a stable home (this was back in May).

I hardly slept last night and I woke up with the same headache from yesterday. I'm going to email the SPCA here and see what they say.

Forgot to add, a close friend of mine is in law and she works at a law office. She also gives great advice so I will send a copy of the letter to her and ask her what I should do.

 

[jcat]

If the shelter isn't going to "get involved" and refused to give her your contact details, you don't have to do anything at all, though I'd advise not posting your dog's photo or history on social media because I've experienced people trying to trace former pets that way.

ETA: If the shelter hasn't already done so, make sure it changes your dog's microchip registration to show you're the legal owner. If he isn't chipped and registered, I'd recommend getting that done ASAP.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

She got into a situation with someone and ended up being arrested and locked up. The dogs were taken from her home. She had no way of contacting anyone until she was released.

~ OK - this lady is a nut. Just based on your story she sounds moderately psychologically dysfunctional. Beware !
If you know an attorney have a letter sent to the shelter warning if any contact with this woman continues you will consider it harassment and act accordingly with legal remedy ( city will not like civil action )
Just an opinion as you asked . Please be careful ... ( so glad doggy is happy )

 

[susanm9006]

If the shelter gave out your name and address I would give them holy hell for it and ask to talk with their attorney about this invasion of your privacy. If they simply forwarded a letter they received I would ignore the letter and keep the dog.

 

[foxxycat]

I wouldn't worry=you are the dogs legal owner.

Is the microchip updated with YOUR info??

As long as you have bills from vets that prove you took care of the dog, the other person honestly is SOL as far as ownership is. You are the legal owner now.

If you can, have a lawyer send a cease and desist letter to said shelter and to this individual.

OR just do nothing. They can't come after you. You Did NOTHING wrong.

 

[Willowy]

I've heard of this happening before. There's no legal obligation for you to return the dog. They're just letting you know that the previous owner wants the dog back, so that if you felt like giving the dog back, or maybe didn't really want to keep the dog and were kind of on the fence, you'd know that the owner is looking for him.

I mean, I can see it both ways. If something happened where my dogs were taken and adopted out, I'd want to try to get them back. But at the same time, if they were settled in and happy, I'd like to think I could let go and let them enjoy their new life.

I assume her lawyers have advised her not to accost you in public, or to contact you herself. So I think you can safely ignore the contact attempts. Although it may be worth it to contact the lawyers to tell them you intend to keep the dog so they can stop contacting you.

I don't really feel like the animal laws are strong enough (in many states a shelter only has to hold pets for 3 days before killing them or adopting them out), but that's not the new owner's fault.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply to my thread. I appreciate it.

~ How are you today ? Hopefully less stress and a decision made ... and a happy dog.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

There have been a few developments in the situation. Of course, I won't be posting everything here. But please accept that I now understand the situation a lot better and unfortunately, he will be going back to his previous owner. I feel this is what is best.

Thank you for your help everyone.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

We trust you to decide what was best!

 

[Sylvia Jones]

I’m just glad that your situation was able to be resolved and that you are ok with it