What if you found a lost dog with a collar and no tags, put up flyers and post ad in paper. no answer for 3 weeks. take him to the vet,groomer, and put chip in him. 1 month later prev owner contacts and demands dog back w/ no compensation?
by 
Ray ray
ANSWERS: 4
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That's a tough call. Without proof of prior ownership I'd tell the guy to get lost. But I guess if he had proof, papers, pictures, etc, and he's not offering anything besides a measly 'thank you,' I'd bill him for the food, the ad in the paper, the fliers, and the chip so I would at least not be out any cash. If he refused to pay up I'd report the dog lost and have him tracked by the chip and returned to me.
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Well, if you do not return the dog, that is called larceny. The person who finds lost property has superior rights to the property against all others, EXCEPT the actual owner. This is where we get the phrase "possession is 9/10's of the law." You knew when you took the dog to the groomers, vet, etc. that the dog belonged to someone. As an aside, if the vet and groomer visits were necessary, you could recover the reasonable value of them from the owner.
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Can they prove that it is their dog? I think now that you have it chipped you are the owner, they would call you if they found it.
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Well, in my state Indiana, if you find a stray animal, after 72 hours you become the legal owner if nobody claims the animal. However, the previous owner may have tried to find his pet via animal control shelters etc... If the dog doesn't originally come from the area where you put up the flyers, the owner isn't going to see them. If the dog looked healthy I would return it to the owner, it simply needing a groomer isn't a sign of neglect, it's a sign that the dog has been having a good time during it's brief freedom roam.
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