If you found a Yorkie...
 

I was reading the S&I forum and this question popped into my head. I was curious what the general consensus would do if presented with a situation such as this.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

You're out and about in your neighborhood, walking your dogs when you come upon another Yorkie just running about unsupervised. You bring the dog to your home for the sake of safety and then start asking around to locate the owner. A day or 2 goes by and it's obvious this little dog is ill and needs the attention of a vet. I venture to say that most of us would take the dog to the vet and seek the help it needs, so in my hypothetical mind, I'm going to assume we all would.

Supposing this dog racks up a substantial vet bill beyond the initial exam fees. For the sake of argument, let's say $300, which is pretty likely. After several days, the owners are located and they want their dog back.

Now comes the part where reality steps in. In this economy, $300 is a substantial amount of money to just walk away from for most people. Particularly over someone else's irresponsibility. In a perfect world, we'd all vet the dog and forget about it. But this isn't a perfect world. And we like to lead others to think that it's exactly what we would do. But what would you REALLY do?

Would you request the owners reimburse you for the expenses? Obviously you can't force them, but would you at least ask?
Be honest. (It's ok to not be rich.)

My answer: I'm financially comfortable (not rich) and I still think I would expect the owners to pay for their dog's treatment.

I would probably explain to them what happened, what I did, and yeah, ask for a reimbursement. You did take care of their pup!

I would definitely ask for them to pay the vet bill

I would ask and of course if I ever lost my dog, I would expect to pay for any treatment my dog received during the time that he/she was lost. I would be happy that my dog received treatment and that the person was honest enough to return him. I think showing them the vet bills would be important, but other than that... yes.

I would ask for reimbursement, and if it were me expect someone to ask me as well. I think it's less about the money spent more about the principle, and showing someone appreciation for taking care of your dog.

Definitely yes to asking for re-imbursement; and I would show the actual vet bill and make a copy for their records.

Sometimes pups escape, and it is not negligence on the owners part. Stuff happens.

I'd gladly pay a vet bill and also, reward the folks who took such good care of my dog.

Yes, I would present them with the vet bills and ask for reimbursement. If they didn't want to cover necessary vetting I would question what the future holds for the dog.

funny ny dh found a shih tzu..(princess) brought her to the vet and she was chipped. they in turn called the company and they had the owner call us...the first thing she asked me (rudely) was how much i spent on the dog....haha. once i knew she had a chip we left the office. i did not know what she needed nor did i want to over vaccinate or anything. when the man came to pick her up she didnt even respond to his voice...and guess what...he told me i should keep her as she liked me a lot better than him.

but yes if i did spend money i would probably ask for it back.

well if the dog were really sick and i did not have the funds to care for it i would take it to a local shelter where they would care for it but i would still try to find the owners.
i did find a shih tzu once the appeared well cared for and healthy so i took him home after i took him to get a check up.
a few days later we found the owners and they did riemburse me when i told them i took him to the vet even thouigh i didn't ask.
they were happy to get there dog back

I would ask if they minded paying me back the $300 but if they didn't I would not get nasty with them.

I would ask for reimbursement. But if they really couldn't afford to pay then I would also understand. Although having these dogs are high maintenance sometimes economy changes things. But I would definitely be offended if they weren't at least appreciative. Although it wouldn't change my mind to do it again in a heart beat.

Yes, I would provide documentation of treatment and asked to be reimbursed.

On the flip-side, if my dog were to get out & hurt/injured in any way, I would gladly reimburse those that provided treatment for her.

I think as soon as I'd got it home I'd call the police, take it to the closest vet and have it scanned for a microchip, then contact the owner.
I wonder if vets have a protocol for such things, perhaps getting a local rescue involved is the thing to do if there is vet care required

and yes I would request the payment before I handed the dog over in this situation that you mention

I would be glad to take the baby to the vet. I would also be glad that the owners have/had been located. I would expect them to reimburse me, so I would provide any and all documentatin they needed. I mean, most people are willing to pay a reward for thir missing dog, so I would think they would be fine paying a vet bill, and just like Teegy, I would want reimbursement prior to returning the dog - or at least something in writing.

I would want someone to do the same for me/my pet(s). If I didn't have the money right then to pay them back, I would work out some kind of payment arrangements and have it in writing for the protection of both parties. I'm NOT rich, and I might not have an extra couple $100 sitting around. IJS, but that wouldn't keep me from paying them back and offering a little extra for their kindness and willingness to help.