Question
This past week while I was in class my mom surrendered my dog to the local animal shelter. My dog had a rough start in life before I got him however he was marked as an “aggressive animal”, which is not true. Will I be able to get my dog back? I have somewhere new to house him.
Answer
Shelters generally have the right to determine placement of surrendered animals, subject to applicable laws, which sometimes limit disposition to adoption, transfer to rescues, or euthanasia. If an animal is not surrendered by the animal’s “owner,” the “owner” typically would retain rights, again subject to applicable laws, such as minimum number of days the animal must be held at the shelter to give the "owner" an opportunity to redeem his/her pet. Consider that a family pet would likely be deemed to be “owned” by the adult in the home. People interested in adopting a particular animal should act quickly before an animal is rehomed or euthanized. I hope this all works out well for the dog.
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