Finders keepers

[jeffrey620]

Hi, I found this stray dog that I took to the animal shelter to give the owner a chance to find this lost dog. The dog will be in shelter past the maximum number of days before I can claim her. I called the shelter and apparently I am told I have to pay to adopt after finding this dog and turning her in. I did inform the shelter if she was not claimed that I will be back to claim her. I was wanting to know what if any are my rights in the state of Indiana for finding this dog and taking her home since I was the one that found her?

 

[irish223]

Hi, I found this stray dog that I took to the animal shelter to give the owner a chance to find this lost dog. The dog will be in shelter past the maximum number of days before I can claim her. I called the shelter and apparently I am told I have to pay to adopt after finding this dog and turning her in. I did inform the shelter if she was not claimed that I will be back to claim her. I was wanting to know what if any are my rights in the state of Indiana for finding this dog and taking her home since I was the one that found her?

Maybe someone else will search out any applicable statutes, but I'm not. I doubt that there are any.

Here's how I see the situation:

You found a dog, then you gave it to the animal shelter. You gave up any rights you might have had when you did that. Now, if you want the dog back, you'll have to pay the adoption fees.

This isn't like finding money on the street and turning it into the police. When you gave the dog to the shelter, the shelter most likely gave the dog a physical exam, fed, and groomed her. They incurred an expense to house her. Why shouldn't they charge an adoption fee? BTW, most shelters are non-profit organizations.

If you wanted to avoid the fee, then you could have run an ad in the paper to find the owner.

I do applaud you for giving the owner an opportunity to find his pet, instead of simply keeping the dog for yourself.

 

[army judge]

OP, I commend you for doing the right thing.

You gave the owner a chance to locate his pet.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "no good deed goes unpunished?"

This is one of those times that saying applies.

Your integrity is showing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mightymoose]

What SHOULD have happened if you were interested in keeping the dog is this:

You keep the dog.

All you had to do was contact the police and make a report of found property. They would have allowed you to keep the dog. Had someone contacted the police to report a lost/stolen dog then they would have known exactly where to find it. You also could have put up posters in the area, and maybe even at the animal shelter so the owner's might see it.

However, as said above, once you gave him up, you lost any claim to the dog.

When you find property your only obligation is to make a "reasonable effort" to locate the owner. You had good intentions taking the dog to the shelter, but you weren't obligated to.

 

[Patricia_Young]

Agree with the other responders. As a cat and dog lover, I hope you adopt this sweetie regardless. She'll appreciate your home.