Found a dog unsure how to proceed.

[misslissa]

So on black Friday a small brown pekingese mix was found in the middle of a busy road his fur so frozen he could barely walk.
A lady from a nearby church stopped and picked him up and she held onto him for a few days hoping a owner would surface no one did.
My grandmother was dropping off some donations for a homeless clothes drive and seen him the lady said she was actually on her to take him to the pound, my grandmother said that she would take him and continue trying to find his home.we put up ads on craigslist kijiji and our local paper and we have a local site just for dogs we also put an ad up there and we filed a report with the police.We took him to be scanned for a microchip(not one) we put up found posters on all the street lights and telephone polls for about a mile and in local businesses.
No one has come forward.
He was very itchy and he was not eating so my grandmother took him to the vet who said he was stressed and gave him some pills, he also said that he thinks the poor little thing was mistreated and probably dumped (based on some behaviors and that he said the dog looked like it had never been properly fed) he is only 6 months old and already has rotting teeth.
My grandmother called the dog warden because if you take a stray dog in to the vet if you provide the records you can get your registration tags for free.
The dog warden told her to take the signs down and keep him if she wanted him.

should we stop looking for his owners and just keep him, we have all fallen in love with him and its almost been two weeks and no word we are very torn between giving him back to someone who is not treating him right,and thear being someone out there who has no idea wear thear pet has gone.

Any advice? what would you do if put in this situation?

[boopster]

It sounds as though you have made a sincere effort to find the dog's owners. Since the vet says it was probably mistreated and dumped, I doubt the original owners will come forward.

If it were me, I would give the dog a name and enjoy having a new companion.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by boopster

It sounds as though you have made a sincere effort to find the dog's owners. Since the vet says it was probably mistreated and dumped, I doubt the original owners will come forward.

If it were me, I would give the dog a name and enjoy having a new companion.

Completly AGREE!!!

[yorkieusa]

Enjoy your new friend!

[my2boyz]

I have a question first.

Are you sure the teeth are rotting from bad or no care? I only ask because you say the puppy is 6 months old and that's right in the midst of teething. During teething the teeth basically do rot and fall out and their breath is undescribably bad!

[Breny]

Awe so glad you found him! Would love to see pics of your new addition

[Nancy1999]

Megansmama wrote an excellent thread with tips on reuniting lost dogs with their owners. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ir-owners.html I think the most important tip is the think "lost not stray." I guess you should do what you would want others to do, if they found your dog. I think you can "foster him" for several months, while looking for his home, and don't forget to notify animal shelters if you haven't done that already. I think after 6 months, I would consider it mine, and stop looking. I think a minimum of 3 months is needed.

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by my2boyz

I have a question first.

Are you sure the teeth are rotting from bad or no care? I only ask because you say the puppy is 6 months old and that's right in the midst of teething. During teething the teeth basically do rot and fall out and their breath is undescribably bad!

he actually has double canines on the top but these are back teeth the vet says should be adult teeth

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Megansmama wrote an excellent thread with tips on reuniting lost dogs with their owners. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ir-owners.html I think the most important tip is the think "lost not stray." I guess you should do what you would want others to do, if they found your dog. I think you can "foster him" for several months, while looking for his home, and don't forget to notify animal shelters if you haven't done that already. I think after 6 months, I would consider it mine, and stop looking. I think a minimum of 3 months is needed.

see we originally wear gonna keep him a year but between what the vet said and what the dog warden said im wondering if he would not be better off with us

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by misslissa

see we originally wear gonna keep him a year but between what the vet said and what the dog warden said im wondering if he would not be better off with us

Read the article, it explains xenophobic temperament, which many vets and other experts use to think meant that the animal were abused, but this has been found to not be the case. Recovery Tips: Think Lost, Not Stray | Missing Pet Partnership

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Read the article, it explains xenophobic temperament, which many vets and other experts use to think meant that the animal were abused, but this has been found to not be the case. Recovery Tips: Think Lost, Not Stray | Missing Pet Partnership

Okay well i read both articles and i have done all the things the one article suggested however he is not xenophobic he loves people of all kinds.
the abuse speculation comes in because of his teeth(when i called my grandmother to ask exactly what the vet said she told me the vet said the teeth wear rotten down to the gum and even infecting the gums a little)
and the poor nutrition he seems to be given I guess the vet said he would not be surprised if the dog lived off of table scraps its whole life he has gained 4 pounds in the week+ he has been with us. there have been no lost dog posters or ads that we have found.
the timing dose seem to make me believe he escaped on thanksgiving.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by misslissa

Okay well i read both articles and i have done all the things the one article suggested however he is not xenophobic he loves people of all kinds.
the abuse speculation comes in because of his teeth(when i called my grandmother to ask exactly what the vet said she told me the vet said the teeth wear rotten down to the gum and even infecting the gums a little)
and the poor nutrition he seems to be given I guess the vet said he would not be surprised if the dog lived off of table scraps its whole life he has gained 4 pounds in the week+ he has been with us. there have been no lost dog posters or ads that we have found.
the timing dose seem to make me believe he escaped on thanksgiving.

I guess what so strange about it is the dog was only 6 months, I can't imagine a dog with that type of problem that young. Most people really don't actively start brushing until the adult teeth come in, and truthfully, most dog owners never brush their teeth. I don't think not brushing is a sign of abuse. When a puppy's teeth are this bad, it makes me think more about the breeder, and if the mother had proper nourishment. Also, it could have be wondering without food for a few days and lost a few pounds during this time. Bless you for looking after him.

[misslissa]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I guess what so strange about it is the dog was only 6 months, I can't imagine a dog with that type of problem that young. Most people really don't actively start brushing until the adult teeth come in, and truthfully, most dog owners never brush their teeth. I don't think not brushing is a sign of abuse. When a puppy's teeth are this bad, it makes me think more about the breeder, and if the mother had proper nourishment. Also, it could have be wondering without food for a few days and lost a few pounds during this time. Bless you for looking after him.

You do have a point. Just so i am not misunderstood I do not plan on taking down the ads and fliers about him i just wanted to know how long every one would wait before the gave up on the original owner( a friend was reading over my shoulder and said that was what it sounded like i was saying)

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by misslissa

You do have a point. Just so i am not misunderstood I do not plan on taking down the ads and fliers about him i just wanted to know how long every one would wait before the gave up on the original owner( a friend was reading over my shoulder and said that was what it sounded like i was saying)

I'm so happy you have taken this dog in and he has found someone that is willing to give him love and a home. I'm sure your heart wants to know when you can feel certain he's yours, so that someone can't just rip him from you. Foster mothers have to be so strong, they have to love so much, and yet be willing to give up the dog to another person. I agree, keep up the fliers, and I guess there are several places on the web that you can list lost pets, after that you have at least known you've done all you could. I don't know what others think, but do you think 3 months is too long to look for the original owner? What do you think is a fair amount of time?

[misslissa]

I dont think three months is too long i don't think six months is too long. I'm afraid that the people will be back and they will abuse him.

However we spoke with the woman at the dog warden's dept today and she said that we can do what we need to do (he needs surgery on his teeth) and if the owners come forward then my grandmother can fill out a special form for her city taxes to try and get some of the money back. The woman at the dog warden's dept also told us to have him neutered and said she would mail us a free voucher to have it done so if his owners come back they will get one heck of a surprise.