In a delima Here. Please advise!?

Ok, so you all are going to think I am nuts here. So I'll just let it out, and please be honest(not rude). I am stuck on what I should do.





I live on a country road, not far from a busy two lane highway. Well this morning on my way to take my kids to school I almost hit this dog that was on the highway. I stopped to try to shoo him off the road as if I almost hit him then the next person coming along might not be so lucky. Well the dog ran right up to me tail wagging and all, so I decided to get him in my car and see if I could located his owners. Obviously he didnt have a collar on. I passed a gentleman and asked if he knew whos dog it was and he told me it belonged to the first house on the road. So I went to their house and they had like 7 dogs running around, all unchained and no collars. Plus the house and dogs conditions were horrid. The people never came to the door, so I brought the dog home with me.


Ok, my question here is would it be wrong of me to keep the dog?

In a delima Here. Please advise!?
I would call animal control and inform them of the situation. If you just keep the dog and they find out, you could get in trouble, but if animal control determines that the living conditions aren't good, they will take all the dogs and give you first opportunity to adopt that one.


It's better to adopt him anyway because for the small adoption fee they will make sure the dog is healthy, has all its shots, spayed/neutered, etc.
Reply:Yes, its wrong. The dog is not yours. What breed he is in irrelevant.





Call the human society or local animal control about the conditions.... you may wish to contact the city or county's department of health and human services if the house is that bad.





Leave a note on their door stating you've found a dog and that they should contact you (do not give your address... just a phone number, preferably cell-phone). Put an ad in your local paper stating you've found a large dog, where you found it and to phone you with positive identification. Take the dog to your vet and make sure it doesn't have anything contagious (ringworm, intestinal parasites). And hope they don't phone you.





Good Luck!
Reply:You would be wrong if you don't report those people to the humane society or to animal control!
Reply:In my opinion, it's not up to you to run the neighborhood trying to find who the dog belongs to and to return it. If they cared anything about the dog, they never would have let it run loose. You could try to keep the dog until (or if) they come looking for it. In the meantime, report them to Animal Control.
Reply:Well you should try to talk to the owner but with the conditions of the other dogs I would keep your new found friend and call your local human society on the previous owners.
Reply:Do this the right way. Call animal control and let them know of the shoddy conditions of the dogs at the home. Then let them know that one of the dogs is in your custody because of the situation on the highway. Tell them that the dogs are loose, with no collars and tags (likely meaning they are also unlicensed and not vaccinated). Animal control may let you keep the dog, but there is a procedure they have to follow first.
Reply:Unfortunately the dog is someone else's "property". You may want to report the people to the humane society and also contact your local shelter (they may be one and the same) and tell them you found a stray dog and are willing to "foster" it until the owner comes forward (they probably won't) and then you can keep it legally.


Good luck.
Reply:Animal control can't do anything as long as the dogs have food and water. Keep the dog, they probably won't notice anyway.
Reply:Personally, what I would do is take the dog to the local Humane Society. While you're there, you can tell them about the conditions you observed and let them know that you'd like to adopt the dog. They may keep the dog for several days, but most Humane Societies will update the dog's vaccines while there and give you a certificate to get it checked out by a veterinarian. Sure, this might cost you a few bucks, but it will likely be less than keeping the dog and footing the bill for the veterinary exam yourself.





Also, if you take the dog to the Humane Society and tell them of your intent to adopt, there's no risk of you getting in trouble for "stealing" the dog should you decide to keep him.





Hope that helps.
Reply:No it wouldn't.





As you'd be doing it for the good of the dog.





Perhaps you could talk him into getting rid of some of his other dogs as well, or maybe if you meet any of them agian, you could give THEM away, and keep your newest little treasure.





If the man/woman asks and says "do you have my dog?" don't lie, say "it's my dog -- yes I have him. He was wandering the streets, without a collar or a leash, he was no longer on your property, sir. (or Ma'am). He belongs to me now." ..





But if he seems understanding, put it into nicer words.
Reply:I'd call animal welfare on the owners. Let them know if they seize the dogs that you want the one you have. Unfortunately though I think you should give it back. You may ask the owners if you can have it but don't be surprised if they say no or try to sell it to you.
Reply:Yes,it would be wrong to just keep the dog.I totally understand why you do not want to return him....I would alert the police that the dog was wandering the highway,and you think you know where he lives.They will see the 'horrid conditions' and call in animal welfare.Tell the owners at that point,that you would love to keep the dog,and tell them nicely that you would give him a good home.The rest of the dogs will most likely be taken away,so why wouldn't they want to not give you the dog!!This would be the honest way of doing it.However,if you feel that strongly about it ,keep the dog,but report it as 'missing'.They probably would not find the owners,but at the same time I would have someone call in on the other dogs,cause they are suffering also.Hope this helps you.
Reply:ADDED: That's AWESOME that the Human Shelter said you could pretty much keep him! (And shows that tagging and chipping your dog is critical!!) What are you going to call your big doogle?? :)





Morally it's wrong to take someone else's dog... but if I saw a nice dog who took to my family and who would otherwise be returned to foul living conditions, I would consider taking him-- after making some sort of effort to find the owners. You don't know that that house is where he came from for sure. Have your vet scan him to see if he's microchipped. He probably isn't, in which case put a few flyers up. Chances are, a responsible pet owner will claim thei pet; an irresponsible owner won't: so if he does come from the house, he might end up being yours anyway. And if they claim him, you might write a check on the spot so you can keep him! (Your kids love the dog could melt someone's heart)...
Reply:you tried to bring the dog back so i dont think its too wrong to keep the dog especially if the house and other dogs were in bad condition. keep and eye on your paper to see if someone places and add about a missing dog. if your worried about the other dogs you could call the humane society
Reply:Personally, given all that you have said...I would keep the dog. Granted, if these are neighbors of yours, they may come up to your door asking for their dog back. But it sounds like they already have more then they can manage, and this dog and some of the others are probably a result of an unwanted mating. If you are ready for the responsibility, I would do it...it doesn't sounds like he is being well cared for at his old place.
Reply:I would say, the dog is yours. Many people keep too many pets. They are't able to properly care for them. Don't feel bad about keeping the dog. He's better off.
Reply:Im not sure. Maybe call the RSPCA? The other dogs my be being mistreated.
Reply:First I would call animal control on the owners for the horrid living conditions. Secondly it would be considered stealing if you didn't attempt to contact or find the owner, I believe there's like a statute of time you have to wait, I believe it's 10 days. Most humane shelters give the dog 2 weeks, if unclaimed put them up for adoption. If I were you I'd put up a flyer all over and see if he get's claimed. If the owners claim it ask them if possibly they would be willing to part with it, if after 2 weeks no response, he's yours.





A mastiff is a huge dog and some get in weight up to 200lbs, are you prepared for such a large dog?





We had a situation where my mom got hit by a car as she was crossing the road, out of fright her dog pulled out of her collar tags and all. We put up flyers and searched the neighborhood and talked to people to ask if they had seen her to no avail. Apparently she had been picked up that day by someone driving by who saw her. Trust me they had no intentions of trying to find the owner, they purchased food, toys and dog paraphinalia for her, they had every intention of keeping her until someone saw her and told them that there were flyers posted looking for her, only then did they call my mom and attempt to return her.





At least you can say you attempted to find the owner if six months from now they see him in your yard and ask you about it.





Good luck