Why would you tell her? She's put both the dog and you in horrible situations. You don't owe her anything.

But yeah, she hasn't randomly decided to look after two years. I'm thinking she knows and is after money.

What sucks is the possibility of running into the previous owner in some way due to their proximity. But if that time ever comes, you can state "My dog is chipped and I have records to prove it." YOU can prove that YOUR dog is chipped and that you paid for it. The other person cannot. How would they be able to prove that Cinderella is their dog?

Still, the prospect of potentially running into this person (or someone they know) while walking the dog might be enough for me to take the initiative to contact them. There are lots of things that are in your favor. You did all the right things in attempting to contact the owner, and for the past two years you've been doing all the right things as Cinderella's owner. Your family has a strong, current emotional bond with the dog; the other person's bond is two years weakened.

RacoonRider wrote:

If she shows up and starts claiming, show her the bill for all the dog food, chipping procedure, shampoo, toys, whatever you purchased for her dog over 2 years. When people have to pay $$$ for their "loved ones", they tend to quickly change their mind.

I had the exact same thoughts. Oh man, after seeing the 2 year bill she will back up in no time...

At least let someone ask how old the dog was when she lost it, that way you know the age of the dog.

I would like to know how she lost the dog and what she did do to get it back. 2 years is a long long time.

There was a lady in the news here that lost a cat 12 years ago. She got a phonecall from a petcenter that found the cat. The lady was crying like crazy and was very happy that she chipped the cat and found it again, she thought it died ofcourse. They didn't say anything about another ''owner'' but if there was one he/she should have checked if the cat was chipped in the first place.

You checked and did nothing wrong, i think it is your dog, your family had every right to keep it. But i do think the original owner needs to know what happened with the dog, and if i was you i would like to know what happened when she lost it and what she did about it.

btw the dog might have looked neglected, but there is also the possibility that it was lost a couple of weeks before that?

PeterLI wrote:

Get a lawyer ASAP.

🤣

meljor wrote:

At least let someone ask how old the dog was when she lost it, that way you know the age of the dog. […]
Show full quote

At least let someone ask how old the dog was when she lost it, that way you know the age of the dog.

I would like to know how she lost the dog and what she did do to get it back. 2 years is a long long time.

There was a lady in the news here that lost a cat 12 years ago. She got a phonecall from a petcenter that found the cat. The lady was crying like crazy and was very happy that she chipped the cat and found it again, she thought it died ofcourse. They didn't say anything about another ''owner'' but if there was one he/she should have checked if the cat was chipped in the first place.

You checked and did nothing wrong, i think it is your dog, your family had every right to keep it. But i do think the original owner needs to know what happened with the dog, and if i was you i would like to know what happened when she lost it and what she did about it.

btw the dog might have looked neglected, but there is also the possibility that it was lost a couple of weeks before that?

My thoughts exactly. Just for peace of mind I would like to ask her what exactly happened regarding the dog disappearing in the first place, and why she wasn't chipped or properly contained etc. Presuming she is legit, she must have some answers.

I am pretty sure she was 1 year old when they "lost" her, judging by the photograph she posted on Facebook which said "picture taken one week before we lost her", and how she looks now. Also I checked her teeth when we first met the dog in the street and she was clearly very young, I would have guessed about a year old. That would make her 3 years old now. She has fully grown and everything is in proportion to her huge paws and her muscles seem pretty well refined. She also grew a long moustache and a beard, obviously she is some kind of lurcher / wolfhound cross. I call her Ming The Merciless now.

Thanks everyone for your input. I showed this thread to the wife and we both read everything. This time I chose to not go with my gut, ultimately it is my wifes decision anyways, and she contacted the original dog warden who dealt with us 2 years ago to confirm that we did everything above board, and that the dog is legally ours. Just to see if this woman had any legit claim to her. The warden said not, she is our dog now. Based on that, and the posts here, my wife decided to just forget we ever saw the facebook appeal at all and just let the chips fall where they may.

If anything ever does come up regarding a chance meeting with the owner or someone else, I can deal with it. Cinderella is safe with us.

That's a happy dog right there. And I don't even like dogs. I like injustice a lot less.

Please update us if anything further should transpire!

Well played, enjoy her.

Excellent decision.
Thanks for the pictures too, helps put a face on this story's protagonist 😀

brassicGamer wrote:

And I don't even like dogs.

i wonder why? the dogs were the only ones who tries to cheer me up seriously when i was depressed, they are easily 10 times as compassionate as people;

brassicGamer wrote:

I like injustice a lot less.

i'd say the same about myself, still i'm pretty sure we do consider different stuff injust;

Awesome then Iris030380 , it was the right thing to decide in my book. Cinderella is awesome too 😁
Keep us posted just in case !

Oh, who's a good girl? *fainting of admiration*

Post scriptum: I don't even think the previous owner would even recognise Cinderella after all that time.

Good choice.
1- It's your dog. Was awarded to you by a public official.
2- Dogs from the same litter often look identical even if mixed breed so there is no way to prove it's the same dog (and it may not be) even if the one in the photo looks the same. Several siblings could have ended up on the street.
3- That woman is too irresponsible to own a pet and probably wouldn't take good care of one.
.

I'm glad you've decided to keep your dog, who is adorable by the way. The only way I would reach out to the woman is if you had a lawyer and you made sure, absolutely sure, that she had no recourse to take the dog away from you (which it sounds like she doesn't).

I love my dog, I can't imagine not having him around. He's always there for me to cheer me up after a bad day at work.
Hopefully your Cinderella gets to spend another dozen or so healthy years with you.

On another note, playing Fallout 4 I usually take Dogmeat as my companion, and I go nuts anytime someone tries to attack him, even though he's nigh invulnerable. He looks so damn real, it's like you're looking at an actual dog and not just some dog-shaped avatar.