Any laws or precedents about lost dogs getting moved far from where found by people thinking they were their lost dog? (children, test)

[2Q&Lrn&Hlp]

What laws apply to a person who claims to have lost 2 little dogs ...

picks up a nearly-identical-to-one-of-their-dogs dog that was found alone & many miles away from their home ...



discovers it isn't theirs, supposedly after leaving with it ...



but, instead of returning the dog to the person that was taking care of it while trying to find its real owner, takes it to their home 26+ miles away, without knowledge of the person who initially found & was caring for it while looking for its owner ...



supposedly to try to find its owner from there ... ?



This scenario is playing out right now in S CA. I was privy to the OP's lost ad, and another person shared texts from the finder of a nearly identical but younger dog, who unwittingly released the dog to what he thought were the owners, never to hear from them again....


The one who posted her family lost 2 dogs, & picked up this found dog as their's ... claim they were going to take it to the pound when they decided it wasn't theirs ... then decided to take care of it themselves at their home, while trying to find its owners themselves ...



all while looking for their own 2 lost dogs. whom their children likely miss very much (their pictures are posted on this lady's account).



There had been some accusations made by an excited & upset animal lover in the group, and in response to that the OP said she didn't appreciate being accused, and then the entire thread that started with pictures of her family's 2 lost dogs was deleted by her / the person having picked up & kept a dog they admit is not theirs.



I'd like to think they're trying to be honest & get that dog home, but, can't see that making any sense since they've removed that dog from the area where it's found.

[hiero2]

Originally Posted by 2Q&Lrn&Hlp

. . .I'd like to think they're trying to be honest & get that dog home, but, can't see that making any sense since they've removed that dog from the area where it's found.

Being honest is not the same as being smart, or thinking clearly, or having common-sense. They could be honest, and acting like idiots.

Honesty also comes in all shades of grey. They could be making honest attempts to find the dog's humans, but have a selfish reason for taking it home and being dishonest about that aspect.

I'm no lawyer, but I don't think the law comes into play much on this. AFAIK, the law treats dogs like property. So, if they found Lost Dog #2, away from it's humans, it would be like finding a purse somebody lost at the mall. Finders keepers legally, I think. Not a moral or neighborly answer, though.

The situation sounds morally shady to me, don't think one could come down clearly on one side or the other. I just hope all the little dogs get returned to their proper human homes.

[phonelady61]

Some of the smartest people do the stupidest things .