Rehomed a puppy, previous owners demanding her back :(

the_becoming

Hi guys, its late and I am emotional and would just like some advice/opinions on this...

I run a dog walking company and took on an 8 week old puppy as a customer a couple of months ago. When I went out for the initial consultation I watched as the owners' 4 year old daughter lugged the pup around like a doll, put her on a huge trampoline and bounced her until she was shaking like a leaf. I of course intervened (kindly I hope!), explained to the mum and daughter about the dangers of a small child lifting a tiny puppy and told them she was scared of the trampoline.

Anyway the job started, we were paid to go in to the puppy for 30 mins a day as the owners were both at work all day. We were not given a key to the house but pup was being kept in an outhouse/utility room so we were to go in and feed/let out for toilet. On several occasions I had my walkers phoning me in tears as the poor girl was left in this tiny room with no toys or chews and was cold and scared. One walker even brought in a puppy toy and left it with her but it was gone the next day. We left notes and I contacted the owner to suggest ways of entertaining the pup but she is the kind to get easily offended.

Fast forward to last week, puppy is now 6 months old and had started growling, lunging at and biting the child. Owners freak out and decide to rehome her and call me for advice. They also asked if I would board her for a weekend as they were going away and didn't want to put her in kennels. I would just like to point out that I don't have a dog at the moment since I lost my last boy and had no intention of getting another! I found a gamekeeper on a huge shooting estate who was interested in having a look to see if she was trainable (gun dog breed) but the owner decided she wanted paying for her - as she has no papers the gamekeeper wasn't interested as they have their pick of the champion working litters!

I said I would look afer her for the weekend and she came to stay. I asked them what her normal routine was and was informed that not only does she spend all day every day in this outhouse, she sleeps there every night too. Anyway, to my surprise she was really calm and wonderful with us - she had a grumble at my 8 year old once but we spent hours with him giving her treats and feeding/walking her and she soon adored him as much as she did my teenagers. My kids have been brought up with dogs and come to work with me in the hols so know exactly how to behave around them. Inevitably we totally fell for her and I contacted the owners to say IF they still wanted to rehome her I would take her. I asked them to think it over properly and let me know when they were ready.

They snapped my hand off and asked that I keep her as it would be too unsettling to take her home and bring her back. I was a bit taken aback but agreed and they came round Sunday evening with all of her things and said goodbye. I offered to waive the last months invoice and not charge for the boarding - over £100 in total - so that they would not be any more out of pocket. In all fairness to them they have spent a fortune on her things and she has been vacc'd/wormed etc and is in lovely condition.

So every day this week she has been out at work with me, met dozens of dogs and come home muddy, tired and happy every day! I have the perfect lifestyle for a dog and she has been absolutely everywhere with me and has slept outside my bedroom door in her crate. We love her, all the dogs I walk love her, it has been wonderful.

However her previous owner has been texting me all night demanding her back as she has changed her mind and is too upset without her. I will admit I dont like the woman very much, its hard in my job to deal with people who dont give their animals the attention they deserve! I have pointed out to her that the reasons she gave for rehoming - danger to the child, lack of time, lack of mental and physical stimulation for the pup - still stand and she is being very selfish but I dont know what to do!

As far as I am concerned i have made a commitment to this little girl and I cant morally come to terms with handing her back knowing that she will once again be locked in a blummin' shed all day and night when she should be with me having the time of her life. She flew at the little girl when she came to say goodbye (she is clearly terrified of her) and I can easily imagine this ending with an injured child and a dog being destroyed if she were to go back.

I have told ex-owner that I am not prepared to just hand her over and have advised her to seek legal advice if she wants to fight me but I don't know if I am doing the right thing. If they were good owners like 99% of my customers I wouldn't hesitate and would be glad for them all but this doesn't feel right at all.

Sorry for the essay, any advice would be gratefully received!

Thank you

con1888

Did you sign anything ?
Has she anything signed to say she is still the legal owner?

I sympathise with you but if nothing is signed the authorities will more than likely be on her side. Similar thing happened with a friend of mine.

UsernameAlreadyExists

Possession is nine tenths of the law.
There are no dog ownership "papers". Tell her to p1ss right off, the dog is clearly much better off with you. Keep it that way, and hold your ground. The onus is on "her" to take action to reclaim the dog ... so do nothing. Let "her" make the effort, and deal with it. If there's too much effort involved, she'll back off.

bugslet

I'm not really sure what the legal position is, but I would guess that you have a verbal contract.

You say that other people have seen the conditions that she has lived in and are aware that her relationship with the little girl has the potential to be damaging due to the maltreatment of the dog. If she comes back on, I'd tell her that you are considering voicing your opinions to the RSPCA and as you have concerns for the welfare of the child, social services. That actually is something that you would be entitled to do, because there is a genuine concern for the child's welfare. Most dog people know that the RSPCA would be highly unlikely to intervene because the dog is kept indoors and fed so they are fulfilling the legal requirements, however, I reckon it's worth a bit of kidology and you can come up with something about guidelines from the RSPCA about socialisation and anything else you can come up with.

I try in life to be as truthful and open as possible, but I think if its for a greater good, it's worth trying to put her off pursuing the return of the dog by exaggeration.

Good luck, the dog's patently happier with you and frankly if it was me, I'd be a lot more vocal about the cruelty and neglect, but then again when it comes to animals, sometimes my mouth opens long before the brain engages:o

ali-t

I believe dogs are seen as possessions under the law so your best bet would be a visit to trevor cooper dog solicitors site WWW.doglaw.co.uk

the_becoming

Thank you everybody! I was starting to wonder if I was being pigheaded but after a long sleepless night of worrying I have just had a text from her saying she has changed her mind again (silly woman!!) - I know I am right to stand my ground! I get the impression she is texting late in the evening after a few drinks as she is so emotional.

Bugslet I totally understand what you mean, it took a lot of soul searching to keep her on as a customer and not to just shout at her! We reasoned that as long as we were going in we could monitor the situation and would know that she at least had our company in the day. To be honest I have been doing this job for 3 years now and can generally tell when a family is going to give up a dog - we guessed they wouldn't last 6 months after the initial consultation, its still so sad to be proven right

Thanks again, I'm just getting her ready for another day of yomping through muddy fields with my lovely regulars :j

the_becoming

Just to add, I don't know if it makes a difference but all conversations including the offer to rehome and her acceptance were carried out by text and email so I have records to back up everything, including her concerns about the child's safety

aliasojo

OP.......just wanted to give you credit for clearly having this animal's best interests at heart despite the risk of potential hassle for you.

I'm glad the dog has you in her corner and there's no question of you being 'pigheaded'. You did/are doing the right thing.

bugslet

the_becoming wrote: »

Just to add, I don't know if it makes a difference but all conversations including the offer to rehome and her acceptance were carried out by text and email so I have records to back up everything, including her concerns about the child's safety

In which case, she has clearly given up the dog and you have agreed to take it on. Sorted.

PS You say pig-headed as if it were a bad thing:p;)

rising_from_the_ashes

So glad she's found a wonderful home with you ..... poor wee mite (why on earth do some people get animals in the first place:mad:) - she's going to have great fun meeting so many dogs / people:)

I was going to ask if you had any texts / emails

the_becoming wrote: »

Just to add, I don't know if it makes a difference but all conversations including the offer to rehome and her acceptance were carried out by text and email so I have records to back up everything, including her concerns about the child's safety

Keep hold of them in case it rears it's head again but hopefully that's the end of it now.

RedBern

I'd also be inclined to put something in writing to her, nothing too formal, but just 'thanks for letting me take the dog, as you know she's settled in really well. Could you let me have her vet card when you have a minute so I can make sure her jabs are up to date. Thanks again'. And then forget about her and perhaps block her phone number if late night hassle continues. Good luck