Actually the dog looks pretty good. I would be more concerned about the fact that the harness was grown into the skin of the dog. That sends out alarms to me. I would feel awful returning a dog to someone that I know is not caring for it properly. I know everyone here thinks very highly of their pets but it is sad fact that there are more people who neglect or abuse their animals than you would even imagine.

So true its easy to talk the talk but to walk the walk is another story..sometimes after the new and showing off gets old they are pushed aside, i have seen this more times than i cared to

This little boy looks like he has been groomed and fed. I don't know if you've seen neglected dogs, but they are not groomed, have mats everywhere, hair grown over eyes and matted, filthy, etc. Perhaps someone tried to catch him, put their dog's harness on him, and he got loose? We don't know.

I would be frantic and would need a tranquilizer dart to calm me down if my little ones got loose. I would hope if they were out in the elements for a while before they were found, someone would realize they must have been lost for a while - not that they were not extremely well cared for by me. Please convince your friend to make the effort to try to reunite this little one w his family. Please check w local shelters, local authorities, place flyers.

i agree... there are too many factors we dont know about to justify keeping the puppy without finding the owner. I just pray if one of my littleones ever got lost the person who finds him/her does not "assume" they have the right to keep. oh the heartbreak-- I want to cry just thinking of it!!

If he had been groomed recently don't you think the groomer would have taken the harness off when he/she noticed it growing into the skin... or that if the owner was going to spend the time and supplies to groom they would have noticed and loosened it at least?

Also, just because he looks like a yorkie, doesn't mean he has ever in his life had long hair. His hair almost looks poodle like. I don't even think he's purebred. I had a yorkie that could have very well been mixed i had no papers for her, her hair never grew past an inch or two always looked groom despite the lack there of.

But a good point is... There's WAY too much that we don't know. Maybe they shaved the li'l boy down to nothing a month or two or three ago when he was smaller then he got away and grew into the harness.... who knows :/

I think it was more a case of chafing than growing INTO the skin. Chafing could be caused by not being used to wearing a harness 24/7 and it being a little (or a lot) too small to begin with.

You can't just keep someone's dog. Period. (this isn't aimed at you ;) )

Over a year ago my Yogi slipped away one evening and was gone over night, i was out looking and going door to door and had lots of people helping me for hours

I came home feeling empty, knowing my little boy was in danger of never coming home due to wild animals, birds or somebody that wanted to keep or sell him..i stayed up most of the night making posters with his pic and phone # and i notified the police..

I was out again before daylight putting the posters on trees, post or anyplace i could find to hang them, i drove 12 miles putting signs in store windows, restaurants and many other places, i come home around 1-2pm and my neighbor was waiting for me and holding Yogi....he was very tramatized from his journey and for days shook & followed, if i went into another room and still to this day stays close, and often still goes with me..

I feel that both parties have an obligation to this puppy

I think we all know what to do if we lost our pet. Posters, radio and paper ads, etc. I once lost a cat and kept ads in papers for months as well as fresh signs when the old ones were taken down. It's not expensive. It only takes a little time and the desire to get our pet back. Cats are much harder to get back than a dog because they hide. This dog went looking for help. I'm sure if the people want him back they will be looking for him.

They did put flyers up and contacted the local police station.

The owners did come forward, but the police didnt release the dog to them. Im not sure of all the details, but with the vet report along with some other type of report, it was considered animal neglect from the markings and wounds on the dog.

So my friend decided to keep this little guy. He has a new bestie. A Maltese named Boogieman. :)

I do not believe your story--not for one second! There is NO WAY that your above scenario adds up. :thumbdown

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY this is true. They would have to have a court date at the very least. Your "friend" stole this dog by omission(giving her the benefit of the doubt here). Plain and simple.

What??? This seems very hard to believe. :thumbdown A process involving the police would take days, if not weeks or months to sort out.

That dog did NOT look neglected or abused. He was well fed and groomed and even had on a harness instead of a collar for crying out loud. The harness rubbed a spot on him from being too tight or on too long. And you, your friend, and the "police" decide it's abuse??

Someone out there is suffering heartache missing their dog. :(

Once Sophia got out and made it down the street. This was about 5 years ago. I did not even know it yet. :eek: A KIND neighbor brought her to my front door asking if she was mine or if I knew where she lived. She knew there were Yorkies at and near our house (both of my neighbors have Yorkies as
well.) Sophia was wearing a cute little dress. I guess I'm lucky she didn't think dressing dogs in clothes was abuse like some people do.

I saw a dog wearing a medical cone around his neck once wondering near a very busy
intersection. I parked my car and walked the dog to a nearby animal hospital a few blocks away. The dog was big, but friendly. The vets office checked and found the dogs owner. (I honestly dont remember if the dog had a microchip or if he was also their patient and they recognized him.) The dog's owners had let him out to go to the bathroom and he somehow got out. It's a good thing I didn't think it was abuse to let a dog out who had recently had surgery. The owners were very worried about him.

I so agree!!!!!

Your friend is lying to you, vet report and "some other type of report." Right. No vet in his right mind would call that animal neglect. Please do ask her what the other type of report was. This is the same as stealing.

It's pretty basic. Chicago is a huge metropolitian area and they have pretty straight forward laws regarding LOST pets.

City of Chicago :: Lost Pet Recovery


Lost Pet Recovery
In Chicago, only three other agencies are allowed to accept strays. Nearly half of the 24,000 animals taken in at ACC each year are strays.

Chicago agencies that take in stray animals:

Animal Care & Control

2741 S. Western Ave

(312) 747-1406

Animal Welfare League

6224 S. Wabash Ave

(773) 667-0088

Chicago's Largest Humane Society - The Animal Welfare League

APA Harmony House (Cats Only)

3809 N. Kedzie Ave

(773) 463-6667

Chicago's Harmony House for Cats - No-Kill Shelter

Treehouse (Cats only)

1212 W. Carmen Ave.

(773) 784-5488

Tree House Humane Society - Chicago No-kill Cat Adoption Shelter

Nowhere on the City of Chicago site does it say that a dog would be deemed to not be given back to the owners because of neglect from a random vet. This is just ridiculous to say the least! You posted this thread Dec 8 and it's only Dec 10th! You need to contact the proper department of the City of Chicago and TURN THIS DOG OVER! :mad: It is not yours or your "friends" to keep! He has an owner and you have made NO EFFORT in the past two days to locate the owner. My husband is in that area of Chicago on a daily basis and looked for your flyer. They are NONEXISTENT!

I have called all of the above shelters and there have been no calls reporting a found Yorkie! Turn the dog over today and allow him to go home where he belongs. This is Christmas and you are depriving a family of their pet by keeping him. I'm just beyond upset this happens and it's not the first time either! :thumbdown