Canine Custody Battle

[Miss Meow]

There's a huge storm in our Sunday paper about a dog called Buckley.

Buckley is two years old and lived in rural Victoria. She was out wandering on the road one day and was collected by the RSPCA (our equivalent of ASPCA) and taken to the pound. She was wearing no identification and had no microchip. After a week of health checks etc, Buckley was offered for adoption and was given a home with an elderly man.

Now, the former owners have contacted the newspaper saying that Buckley was their dog, they thought she had been bitten by a snake and want the dog taken off her new owner. They only contacted the pound a week later because they saw her being advertised in the local newspaper. They have offered up to $1,000 to buy this man another dog of his choice so they can have Buckley back. They have been liaising with the new owner via the RSPCA as they maintain customer confidentiality.

The newspaper has stepped in and started a 'Let's Find Buckley' campaign, asking readers to find and dob in the new owner. I don't know what they plan doing after that.

Who do you think should have Buckley?

Regardless of the outcome, I'm furious with the paper for starting a witch hunt for an old man who was only trying to do the right thing at the time. I'm just typing my e-mail to them now ...

[luckies4me]

What did they do in the newspaper? I am not quite understanding what you mean.


If the family wanted and loved the dog so bad why didn't they look for the dog at the pound and why didn't he have a collar. If they are offering a thousand dollars it makes no sense that he didn't have a collar, which only costs a few dollars.

I think the old man did a very noble thing and adopted an animal, they shouldn't harass him for that. Is it possible for you to copy the story??

[Cataholic]

Yikes! I think the doggie should be returned to the previous owners, and the older man helped to find a suitable pup! How sad to do this when the money and energy could be better spent to help homeless pets...

[Karen]

Gosh, I think we should ask Buckley herself!

Bring Buckley someplace and give her to a neutral third party for an hour. Then let her enter a room with the old man and her previous owners. Whoever she goes to (they do not get to call her to influence her) gets to keep her. The thousand dollars, in any case, goes to shelter-type charity.

That's my solution!

[lizbud]

I agree, let the dog decide who she'd rather be with. This
meeting should be on neutral ground so she wouldn't by
"cowed" by the former owners. This would be fair to everyone.
Best of luck to Buckley.

[tomkatzid]

Maybe the dog was getting a bath and the owner just removed the collar and she ran off.
But there is NO reason that the dog shouldn't have had a micochip and NO reason the owers should not have been at the shelter the very day the dog was lost and every day after. They may love this dog but they don't seem like very responsable owners.
I vote for the new owner. And lets make sure the dog is microchiped now.

[Miss Meow]

This is the text of yesterday's article. There have been a couple more stories over the last month, but they aren't on the paper's website (and I'm a diligent recycler )

Tomkatzid, Buckley didn't have a collar or tag. I think the rationale was that it's a big country town, don't need a collar on OUR dog ...

I still can't believe they didn't call the pound in the week they were looking for the dog and none of their friends/family suggested to do it either???

-------------------------------

Sunday Herald Sun
12 January 2003

Readers demand kelpie's return
Give Bucks back now
By ADRIAN TAME

THE RSPCA has been blasted over its refusal to intervene on behalf of a couple whose much-loved dog they sold to a family of strangers.

The Sunday Herald Sun has received many letters and phone calls from readers protesting at the RSPCA's harsh stance over 18-month-old kelpie cross Buckley.
Readers have offered owners Steve and Donna Richards everything from financial assistance to legal advice, and even suggested dognapping Buckley back.

RSPCA national president Dr Hugh Wirth said Buckley could have bonded with her new owners "within two or three minutes".

He described the Sunday Herald Sun's treatment of the story as "sensationalist".

Buckley has been the devoted pet to the Richards family since a few weeks old.

She lived with them on their 86-hectare property in King Valley, 40km south of Wangaratta, until two weeks before Christmas, when she was seized by a council dog catcher on a nearby dirt road.

Nobody saw Buckley taken, so for a week the Richards scoured the area, fearing she had been bitten by a snake.

A week later the RSPCA advertised Buckley for sale.

Mr Richards, 47, contacted the RSPCA only to be told Buckley had been sold to an elderly man living alone.

Later, RSPCA chief executive Maria Mercurio denied this, saying Buckley was in a loving family home which had been assessed according to RSPCA procedure.

But she admitted the RSPCA had not visited the home.

Confidentiality laws prevent the RSPCA from giving the Richards details of the new owners, but it has passed on their offer of a replacement dog if Buckley is returned.

Many readers suggested a true dog lover would have returned Buckley, particularly as the new owners had her for only three days.

Mrs Richards said: "Steve is completely heartbroken. How could anybody be so cruel?"

Vet Debbie Calnon, of Mount Waverley, said: "I find the suggestion that a dog would bond with new owners in three minutes a bit ridiculous.The RSPCA does a lot of good, but it is such a large organisation that hiccups like this do occur."

A spokesman for the Lost Dogs' Home in North Melbourne said his organisation insisted people buying stray animals sign a document agreeing to hand back the animal to its original owner should they turn up after the sale.

------------------------------

The article is completely one-sided, quotes a vet who isn't even associated with the case, quotes another humane society with a different procedure to make the RSPCA's process look bad, and tries to make the RSPCA look negligent because the officer didn't look at the new owner's home (even though it's never been their process). Grrrrrrrr

[Miss Meow]

The paper has taken upon itself to start a public witch hunt for the new owner. I find this part most offensive. What's going to happen when they find the new owner and the dog???

[Twisterdog]

I work at a shelter. This kind of thing does happen. That is why shelters have a legal holding period. Ours is five days. During that five days, the dog must be held at the shelter, cannot be adopted. This is to give the owners time to find the dog. After that period, the dog becomes the legal property of the shelter, to with as they see fit, be it adoption or euthanasia. This law is to protect both the shelter, the dog and the owners.

My personal opinion is that if the owners of a dog are too stupid, thoughtless or apathetic to drive to the shelter at least ONCE during the five day holding period, they don't deserve to own a dog, any dog, period. If one of my dogs ever got lost, first of all, it would have it's collar and tags on!! And I live in a VERY small town in a rural area. Second, I would be at every shelter in the county every day. I would be putting up fliers, posting on the internet, everything. This dog could have just as easily been euthanized as adopted out at the end of the holding period, all because its owner didn't check the shelter for it. Sorry, I don't think people like that deserve to own a dog.

This dog is legally the old man's property now. He got it from the shelter, where it was legally the shelter's property. The former owners have no legal claim to the dog. Saying The new owner's reasoning is probably, "Well, if they really loved this dog, they would have kept it in a fenced yard, put a collar with tags on it, and made the slight effort to drive to the shelter to see if it was there." And I have to agree with that. Yes, things happen, mitigating circumstances sometimes ... but in this case it sounds like the owners simply didn't care enough or weren't bright enough to put ID on their dog, and to check the shelter. That's their loss, IMO, maybe they will learn something and take better care of the next dog they get.

[Nomilynn]

Those owners wouldn't have even needed to drive.. they obviously have email and phones.. couldn't they have looked up the number at the shelter via internet and called to see if their pup was there?

I lost a cat once. I called every shelter three times a day, called Cat Find (a local organization in the area I was living) three times a day and faxed them photos, and put an ad in the paper. He also had a tatoo. He was found within three days, because someone picked him up, saw his tatoo and put a found ad in the paper. All the phoning and faxing I did was a tiny price to pay to get my cat back.

[wolfsoul]

i think shelters should wait atleast a couple weeks before giving a dog up for adoption. things have happened where people call the spca everyday since their dog is gone and there can be confusion and the spca will say the dog isnt there when it really is... although i believe a good owner would go have a look for themself...
i think that the old owners should get the dog back....how would u feel if you lost your best friend and then have to see it get put in another home? i would feel sad and replaced. i also dont think that letting the dog choose is a very accurate thing. my dogs love me more then anyone, naturally, but one would definately run to someone they dont know as well in order to befriend more people. my dogs see some people everyday, but because they dont see them every minute of everyday, they are sure to be more excited to see them.

[Twisterdog]

i think shelters should wait atleast a couple weeks before giving a dog up for adoption.

In a perfect world, that could happen. But, the reality is, shelters do not have the room, staff or funds to do so. Most stray dogs are picked up by the local animal control agency, which is funded by the city or county. The budget of those organizations is set by city council or county commision. We, the voting public, decide who gets elected to those positions and which referendums and laws are passed. Therefore, the general public has decided, by their voting record, that animal control is at the bottom of the barrel as far as importance, staffing and funding go. The answer is to educate, publicize and carefully check each candidates views on animals issues before voting. But, until the general public decides animal control is a more important issue, shelters will continue to not have room, time or money to hold dogs for several weeks.

things have happened where people call the spca everyday since their dog is gone and there can be confusion and the spca will say the dog isnt there when it really is... although i believe a good owner would go have a look for themself...

You bet, this happens all the time. What is a "grey terrier mix" to the shelter staff is a "salt and pepper schnauzer" to its owners. But you hit the nail right on the head .... a good owner will go to every shelter, every day, frantically trying to find their beloved pet. They won't settle for a phone call and call it good.

i think that the old owners should get the dog back....how would u feel if you lost your best friend and then have to see it get put in another home?

Well, if I lost my best friend, I would find my best friend. I wouldn't let him sit at a shelter for days and days without going to check! I wouldn't let my best friend roam the neighborhood. I wouldn't let my best friend be without a collar and tags, not to mention a microchip and tatoo. Good, responsible pet owners do not treat their 'best friends' this way.

[Nomilynn]

All this stuff has really got me thinking. My cats are indoors all the time, but I travel with them to the USA and across the border. I'm wondering if microchips are a good idea? How much do they cost? Does it hurt the animal? Any info would be helpful

[aly]

I had to just skim this thread because I'm falling asleep but I'll read it completely tomorrow.

I just wanted to say that since I work at a shelter, I see these circumstances sometimes. And I have been involved in one as some of you may remember my sweet precious Nookie. There is a LOOOOOOONG thread about that case. It is DEVASTATING for the person who has just adopted the dog (which is what happened to me). I think that is stupid of the paper to try to track the poor old man down. I think after the legal stray hold period (different length of time for different places - here its 3 days), the dog should be allowed to legally stay with the new owners.

I dont know. I think every case is different and sometimes I may think the dog should go back to the original owners, but definately in this case, I think she should stay with the old man. And in my case, I think I should have kept Nookster

This was exactly what I was afraid for , when we took Maya home from the shelter ! She was found too , and was in the shelter since 2 1/2 weeks . I was afraid for at least 1 month that the original owner of Maya would find us and want his cat back ...
Luckily , he didn't