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