General Rescue Question (This is a Nightmare!!)

[DesertChildAZ]

I often go on various websites and, by comparing "lost pet" ads with "found pet" ads, try to reunite owners with their pets.

Late Wednesday night (1/16), I found a "lost pet" listing on Craiglist for two springer spaniels that was posted on the prior Sunday night (1/14). The dogs had escaped from their back yard the prior day, 1/13.

On petfinder.com, I found an "found pet" ad for two springer spaniels that had been found in the general vicinity on 1/14 (one day after the "lost" spaniels in the other ad escaped). Unfortunately, the listing said that one of the dogs had been hit by a car and died. I forwarded the petfinder ad to the craigslister who was looking for their dogs. She responded immediately with thanks and contacted the poster who had found those dogs immediately to see if they were her dogs. Later that day I followed up with her by email to see if they turned out to be her dogs. It turns out that those were, in fact, her dogs and she was devastated by the loss of one of her dogs, which was compounded by the fact that the person who found her dogs had called a rescue organization and that rescue organization is now refusing to return the living dog to it's rightful owners despite the fact that they have provided proof of ownership (including family photos showing her distinct color patterns). In a nutshell, the dogs escaped on 1/13, were discovered after one was hit by a car on 1/14, the living one turned over to the rescue organization on 1/14, the living one was spayed on 1/16 by said rescue organization. The owners contacted the rescue organization on 1/17 and were told that they couldn't have their dogs and that the organization had a "family of interest" in mind (though not yet placed in that home). This all over the course of 4 days. The person who posted the "found" ad was the person who turned it over to the rescue. The ad was not posted by the rescue. The rescue does not appear to have tried to locate the owner. Just threw up a picture of the dog on their personal website (not petfinder). The person who found the dog never contacted the city, just the rescue, so the city was not involved in any way. She has since told the owners that the rescue organization was very mean to her when she turned the dog over and that she would assist in trying to get the dog back.

What recourse, if any, both morally and legally do the original owners of this dog have to get their dog back? (I have advised them to contact the police and immediately pick up the dog from the rescue before they place the dog in a home.)

Isn't it the moral obligation of the rescue organization to try to seek the dog's original owners (particularly since it didn't go through the county's typical 72 hour wait period, Maricopa/Arizona) before finding it a home?

What are the rules here?

[TLC]

Oh my goodness. What a nightmare, I can not believe that is happening

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by TLC

Oh my goodness. What a nightmare, I can not believe that is happening

No kidding. Does she know where the dog is physically located? With that information and her proof of ownership I believe the police would help her recover the pet. I hope....

I don't even know what rescues groups are governed by...in regards to attempting to find owners of "strays". In the shelters or city pounds here...it is customary to wait a specific amount of time before releasing a stray for adoption. Rescues who knows...

I wish the best for the outcome here.

[DesertChildAZ]

Whatmore is that the dogowner said that when she contacted the rescue, the person on the other end of the line seem PISSED that she had located them and her dog. What kind of rescue does that? Rescues are for mistreated dogs who are UNWANTED. Not for dogs that are WANTED.

[bettyeanne]

I am totally speechless!!! What a horrible, horrible thing for people, who are supposed to put the best interest of the dog first and foremost, to do!! That poor dog ... most certainly traumatized already ... seeing it's friend hit by a car, picked up by a stranger, handed off to more strangers and then spayed!?!?!? I'm sorry, but I won't even say what my action would be because it's totally illegal!! It was absolutely that "so called rescue's" responsibility to explore every possible avenue to locate that poor dog's owners! This is not only heartbreaking but makes me sick to my stomach!! Shame on them!!!!

[TLC]

They need to go to the Police ASAP

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by DesertChildAZ

Whatmore is that the dogowner said that when she contacted the rescue, the person on the other end of the line seem PISSED that she had located them and her dog. What kind of rescue does that? Rescues are for mistreated dogs who are UNWANTED. Not for dogs that are WANTED.

It's unbelievable...

Time is of the essence here (even though if the dog got placed...the rescue would have that information on file) I'd contact the police immediately. If they were unable to help. I'd be in a lawyer's office pronto. A mere telephone call from an attorney to the rescue group would probably suffice. Sometimes nothing gets a faster response than just the threat of legal action.

[DesertChildAZ]

We've been corresponding non-stop this morning. I asked her if she had the address of the rescue so they could take the police there to get their dog. Here is her response:

"They made it hard to track them down by giving a false address, but we figured it out... [we're] going there now to demand [our dog] back. We're going to contact the police. Its called [Name of Rescue Organization Inserted Here]. Its a mother and daughter (whose an attorney and trying to use her title)."

The items in brackets are my personal changees to protect this situation. I've blocked that info in case there are any associated rescues here that could alert them of the impending raid by police.

[TammyJM]

Is the dog registered and/or microchipped? I would tell the owner to take any and all vet records and registery forms with them to the police,along with pictures. Oh, also if the owners have any purchase agreement from their breeder or maybe even contact the breeder to get a statement.

Tammy

[Brianna2191]

The same thing happened to me! When I lived in an apartment the guy who came to fix my cooler left the door open and one of my Persian cats got out. I called every shelter...put up flyers everywhere. Finally after 2 days I got a hold of my local pound and described my cat and the lady said yes we have your cat. So i went down there asap and when I arrived and asked for my cat they all gave me this scared look and said ooh we just adopeted that cat out. I was pissed! There policy is to hold animals for 10 days! The person in charge came out and was like no it wasn't a persian it was a different cat, it wasn't yours. Ok I described the cat as long haired, blue in color with a flat face and the lady had said yes......how is that not a persian? I never got my kitty back and since then I have heard that if they get any purebred animals in that they try and adopt them out asap for a huge fee!

[daisy mae06]

Originally Posted by DesertChildAZ

Whatmore is that the dogowner said that when she contacted the rescue, the person on the other end of the line seem PISSED that she had located them and her dog. What kind of rescue does that? Rescues are for mistreated dogs who are UNWANTED. Not for dogs that are WANTED.

I am Shaking my head in disgust I can not Believe that the rescue is being the way they are!! .. Shame on them..




Also I wanted to say that you being a Pet detective is so sweet and it is great you are helping this lady out.

[daisy mae06]

Originally Posted by DesertChildAZ

We've been corresponding non-stop this morning. I asked her if she had the address of the rescue so they could take the police there to get their dog. Here is her response:

"They made it hard to track them down by giving a false address, but we figured it out... [we're] going there now to demand [our dog] back. We're going to contact the police. Its called [Name of Rescue Organization Inserted Here]. Its a mother and daughter (whose an attorney and trying to use her title)."

The items in brackets are my personal changees to protect this situation. I've blocked that info in case there are any associated rescues here that could alert them of the impending raid by police.

when this is over will you please list the name of the rescue to give members here a heads up.?

[DesertChildAZ]

Originally Posted by daisy mae06

when this is over will you please list the name of the rescue to give members here a heads up.?

With pleasure...

This is the second "rescue" organization that I've encountered that has left me in disgust. Two years ago, after my 13 year old cat died, I was looking to add another cat to my home and responded to a petfinder ad for a young cat in Arizona. That "Rescue" was called "Castaway Treasures" and I went to the "facility" which was a very old home in a VERY seedy area of town. The front porch was enclosed in chicken wire and I was not permitted inside. The shelterowner met me outside in the yard and instructed me to stay about 10 feet within its gates, which was 15 feet or so from the porch of the home. The windows were blocked out with aluminum and there were 4 dogs on the porch. When the lady met me outside, she went in to get the cat and I could hear her SCREAMING profanities at the dogs inside, telling them to "Get the F*!@ down" repeatedly. When she brought the kitten out in a carrying case, it had snot caked on it's nose, oozing eyes and ear mites. I could not take this cat because my other 16 year old cat had just had a tumor removed and was susceptible to infection. I couldn't bring a sick cat into my home. It KILLED me to send that kitten back into that home. I wanted so badly to just run with it but I didn't know anyone who could take it until I could get it to a vet. I cried all the way home. I believe, with what I know now, that that "rescue" organization was in fact a hoarder. It just seemed shady to me. But it broke my heart that those animals had to live with that raving screaming terrible woman. I eventually alerted petfinder.com and the city animal control. I didn't see many ads from her on petfinder after that so I'm not sure if she was banned.

Anyway, I don't have a very good taste in my mouth from the experience and this dogowner's recent experience just speaks volumes about what is wrong in animal rescue today.

(I do have another experience of a cat rescue in the Phoenix area that was superb and very impressive, so I don't think they are all bad.)

[Yorkiedaze]

THis should have never ever happened. I'm sickened to think that "any" rescue would succumb so low that greed for the allmighty buck that greed would take over. I'd be getting the police involved in this. I would not give them one second of peace till I got the dog back.

[DesertChildAZ]

Originally Posted by daisy mae06

Also I wanted to say that you being a Pet detective is so sweet and it is great you are helping this lady out.

We're all petlovers here. I know that I was lucky one day when I saw my very obedient yorkie strutting down the sidewalk from my house...having snuck away from me one quiet sunday morning....I'm neurotic and still my dog got out. He came right back when I yelled his name but things could have been very different. So I know that things can happen even to the best pet owners...and just because your dog escapes doesn't mean you are neglectful. In my case, he just decided that he wasn't going to wait for me to walk him when I was done watering the plants. He was going to go NOW!!

Anyway, people need all the help they can get. Phoenix is a big city and it's hard to track a dog here when the streets are set up like grids and there's a million ways to get to the same place. It's impossible to find a dog if you have no idea what direction he went in. So I try to help anyway I can.