Dog was abandoned at my fire station, now the family wants her back.

Question

I work as a firefighter in the twin cities. Last Wednesday, we arrived to work in the morning and had a dog tied to a light pole outside the fire station. It was accompanied with some of her belongings and a note stating why she was left there. I took her home and the CSO working that day was aware. 5 days later, he said he contacted the previous owners, and they now want her back. They claim that a friend that was watching her did this and not them. Now they wish to have her back. Do we now have custody or is she still theirs?

Minnesota, USA

Answer

It is illegal and cruel to abandon an animal so a careful review should certainly be done before considering returning an animal to a person who may have abandoned the animal. For example, if there are security cameras you may be able to tell who abandoned the dog. They should be prosecuted.
There must be much more to this story. It is unlikely that the dog-sitter would admit to abandoning the dog but may shed light on the situation. Important to note is that people who surrender their animal sometimes change their minds and attempt to get the animal returned, but regrets do not equal rights.
While I cannot say who is the rightful “parent” of this dog now (that would be up to a court to decide based on the evidence presented in the event a lawsuit is commenced), I can say that it would be very very premature to return an abandoned animal to a person claiming the animal without much further investigation. Consider reporting the abandonment to the police, Animal Humane Society, SPCA (society for the prevention of cruelty to animals), animal control, and other entities in your area that enforce animal cruelty laws.
I really hope this all works out well for the dog.

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By |2025-01-21T11:44:26-04:00December 5th, 2024|

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