I don't know what states have this law, but I have not heard of it before. I checked here and there is no law like that. Just curious what states require this?

Just ignore it then Linda. Most people seem to be interested and want to hear the updates on the dog. I just started reading it today because it popped up at the top of the threads. and I know I am interested to hear how the dog is doing and the outcome..

Did you call the PD and ask about the laws regarding found property ? And I think you live in Wa state if so they do have the law. It requires you to run an add for 3 days for 2 diff weeks.

Actually, it doesn't make you look bad, it makes them look bad!!

Hmmm, I have read every post and never saw yhr offer to take the dog.. can you please point me to that post?

Even if she did offer to take the dog, mommaofmia was handling it just fine. Not all of the dogs in trouble, or lost, found etc on here need to be placed in rescue. This dog did not need to be placed in rescue....

And she has been trying to find the owner. She has done everything she can do to find the owner.

Can you please point me in the direction of that law? Our county AC handles all lost animals so when a dog is lost or found they are called and give the information, IF the owner contacts them at animal control then they put the owner in touch with the person holding the dog.

The police here do not handle lost and found animals unless someone finds one and wants it picked up.

Summary of State Lost Property Statutes

The statutes listed below represent the approximately 20 states that have enacted laws governing the disposition of lost property. These statutes typically require a finder to report and/or relinquish the found property to local authorities, publish the find in a local publication, and wait a statutorily proscribed time period prior to asserting ownership.

In essence, these enactments override or supplement the common law rule that a finder's interests are always subordinate to the true owner's. In fact, it is said the goal under common law is to reunite the lost property with its true owner. Not all states have enacted such laws; in those states without a statutory scheme, the common law rule applies.

It is unclear whether any of these codes would apply when the "lost property" is a companion animal. In fact, two states specifically exclude animals from their provisions (in part perhaps because the legislature considered the term "animal" to be a commercial animal rather than a cat or dog).

In any event, no state has enacted provisions that specifically cover the issue of a lost dog. Thus, it may be argued that the traditional common law rule of original ownership applies. One Vermont court has suggested instead that public policy interests govern this unique area of property law.

Where a finder has made reasonable efforts to locate the owner by posting notices, contacting law enforcement officials, and employing other means, he or she may claim ownership to a lost pet after a reasonable period of time. However, until more state courts are faced with this issue, or until state legislatures undertake the opportunity to delineate a clear legislative procedure, the issue of lost dog is unclear.

http://www.animallaw.info/articles/o...tystatutes.htm

I can't tell you where it is I just know it's in the books. My mom works for the Clarkston PD she is Property and Evidence Officer and that's how I know. The PD does not take in animals but they know the laws for found property and pets are considered property so the property laws have to be followed. If they are not and you just call vets and or AC and no one is looking for that dog then you decide to keep it, say 6 months or a year goes by and you are driving down the street with the dog in the car and the original owner sees their dog and follows you home and says hey that's my dog and I want it back it will go to court and if you can't prove you ran an add you will be ordered to give the dog back. Sucks especially if you spent lots of money to save the dog say because when you found it , it had been hit by a car and you decide to save it. Most often you have to return the dog and don't get your money back. Gotta love that huh. And depending on who answers the phone at your local PD, they may or may not know the answer to what to do when you find a dig, also gotta love that. This is why so many people don't know what to do. So always ask for someone in the property room as they will deff know, they deal in lost and stolen property all day long they better know.

I think it also depends on the county. Everything here is so different from county to county. I just know what it is here.

My best friend's lab got lost or stolen and a couple of months later saw these people walking with her dog. she stopped them and they claimed they had the dog since it was a puppy (my friend got him from the pound).

Well they refused to even let her check his ear for the tattoo she put in his ear. So she and he hubby called the police, they came right away and the people said, no this is our dog. The cop said my friend had to prove it was her dog.. So she told him to look in his ear for the tattoo.. He did and made these people hand over Spot to my friend right then and there.

If spot did not have that tattoo those people would have been able to walk away with the dog.

Yea same thing happened here to my friends DHs black lab. They stole her rite out of his rig when he went into a store to get a soda. He called the police and they didn't even want to come out . My friend said the cops told him it was a civil matter. What the heck , if a dog is considered property then why can't the Police do anything. He did get her back though because the cop held the dog and made my friends DH and the other guy go about 10 feet away and call the dog when he dropped the leash Candy went rite to her PaPa
( friends DH ) so the cop told the other guy "well buddy it looks like the dog belongs to him ( friends DH ) . Can you believe that, what if he had just got the dog an she didn't know her name yet then what ?

OMG that is just insane!!! Thank God the other guy didn't have a bag of beef jerky in his pocket..LOL.. I know not really funny but sheesh cops are idiots. They just don't want to get involved even though it is their job!!

All my dogs are chipped and wear tags and I keep both updated. So many people never have the chips put in their names and then you end up with a case like this dog in this thread. SOme people are just lazy, it takes one phone call to change the chip info..

Mine are not chipped , those things worry me. I have let them out just to see what they would do and they would not get far enough from me to see what they would. But all mine are rescues and were in bad shape when I got them. They are pretty spoiled and grateful and my wolf hound is pretty protective of me and his home so I know as long as he's around the little ones will not be stolen unless someone has a death wish. Ive seen him in action and it's not pretty. When I lived in Ca some idiot tried to jump my fence running from the cops and I'll tell you Ive never seen someone jump a fence so fast as that idiot did when my Big Licker went after him. Talk about Kudjo, Ha

You do not need/have to turn the dog over to animal control just call them to see if anyone is looking for the dog and give them your # incase the owner does come looking for their dog. The shelter is usually the 1st place people go when they loose a dog. Also never just call the shelter if you loose a dog, ALWAYS go to the shelter and look for yourself.