Should I keep her?

[FireAndy]

Well this sweetheart of a dog walked up to our backdoor yesterday. We walked all up and down the street and asked everyone if it was their dog. She needed a trip to the vet and about 3 flea baths, but she is now flea free and has all her shots. She is a sweetheart and knows how to sit, shake, lay down and is house broken. She is 6 mos - 12 mos old according to the vet. She is part yellow lab and part chow. So far she is getting along with our two little ones (Maltese and Dacshund). Here is a pic.

[mcaldwell]

She is a sweetheart and knows how to sit, shake, lay down and is house broken.

Sounds like a missing pet to me more than stray. No tags or ID chip?

I would hang on to her, but make a reasonable effort to find the owner (assuming there is one who wants her back). A message on the local radio station should do. If no one calls, you've got a new member of the family.

[MalahatTwo7]

I concur. My dog (rotten bugger ) has a nasty habit of jumping the fence when HE wants to go for a walk. I make sure that he has a collar tag, with my cell # on it for that reason.

Sounds to me like you (or she LOL) found a winning number! My family has inherited a few cats 'n dogs from strays. Usually they make the best pets too.

[dave29]

She's cute, I would try to find the owner if no owner Keep her

[BFDLT32]

Keep her!!! I know what you have been involved in trying to locate the owner. Somewhere on the front of my property is an invisible sign visible only to dogs. It must say that this is the place to go if you want to be attended to. All of the strays that have found their way to the house have been given a good home. From the picture it looks to me like she already has planted her roots and is happy to be where she is. The part of her that is a lab will be the best part of her demeanor. Good luck

[FireAndy]

Dog had no tags or nothing. She is a little underweight so I think she has been out for about 3-7 days (vet thought that too).

The problem I have is that she was COVERED in fleas. Granted this is the bad time of year but the vet said that she has had fleas for 2-3 weeks easy based on the number and seeing dead ones etc.

Where I live, the income level is very low, $100 is like $5000 to most people here. It cost me $200 to take her to the vet, get her treated, get the fleas off, get her on antibiotic and get her shots taken care of.

Secondly, I have talked to people who seem to know everyone (our town is small 1500+) and no one around our area (for at least 1/4 we went all over) claimed the dog and many people saw her walking around for a couple days.

My thought is if the owner lived close by they would have seen her just like everyone else, and if the vet is right that she had fleas for at least a couple weeks, then she was not kept in a very good environment in the first place, and do we really want her to go back to that?

Lastly, I would want the owner to pay me the $200 it cost to take care of the dog, to at least cover fixing her back up and paying for the shots, and I don't see that happening.

Just my thoughts, but so far since yesterday we have made an effort to find the owner, I would be more heartbroken if some little girl or boy was missing their beloved pet.

Andy

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

There is a possibility that some drove through the area and abandoned the dog. I know that if one or both of my dogs were missing, I would move heaven and earth to find them.

I think you have been adopted!

[Dave1983]

There is a possibility that some drove through the area and abandoned the dog. I know that if one or both of my dogs were missing, I would move heaven and earth to find them.

I think you have been adopted!

Thats what I was thinking. Somebody from outside the area left the dog. Maybe they had other pets that this dog didnt get along with, or had a problem with a landlord. Who knows.

I know that sometimes pets dont work out. About 10 years ago we got a puppy that didnt get along with any of our other pets so we had to get rid of him. I didnt drop him off on the side of the road though, we gave him to a breeder.

[BFDNJFF]

Beautiful dog ! Looks as if you tried to find the owners so i would guess as gonzo stated You have been adopted !

[FireAndy]

There is a possibility that some drove through the area and abandoned the dog. I know that if one or both of my dogs were missing, I would move heaven and earth to find them.

I think you have been adopted!

I agree, my wife and I do not have children and our dogs are our kids. Problem is that now if we want to go somewhere on vacation, we dont have someone that will watch them, because she is much bigger than our little ones. She will have to go into a kennel during vacations I guess, if we wind up keeping her.

[FireAndy]

Thats what I was thinking. Somebody from outside the area left the dog. Maybe they had other pets that this dog didnt get along with, or had a problem with a landlord. Who knows.

I know that sometimes pets dont work out. About 10 years ago we got a puppy that didnt get along with any of our other pets so we had to get rid of him. I didnt drop him off on the side of the road though, we gave him to a breeder.

Another thing I thought about was, maybe they didn't have the money to get her cleaned up and flea free. So they just dumped her. Not sure though, a lot of people walked right by her and didn't do anything for her. She was a mess when she walked up. After a few baths, she cleans up well and is adorable. She is laying here right next to my desk as I work

[captk12]

OMG - she is beautiful! Congrats to the new addition to your family. I agree with everyone here - You have done everything to find the owner and the owner has not surfaced. Regardless - YOU will be the best person to take care of her. Best of luck.

[Weruj1]

I would keep her .....................better thanthis !

[BFDLT32]

Andy:

You were choosen for a reason, leave it at that.

[tyler101]

I would keep her .....................better thanthis !

Come on Weruj - you know you would pay top dollar for a dog like that!

[50FFEMT]

She's gorgeous! I think she's yours, and congrats! The only thing I can add to what the others have said is this; watch her (and any stray) carefully for any "triggers". Some dogs who are fantastic normally can turn vicious towards certain things. (other dogs, kids of a certain age, men with mustaches, women with long blonde hair, etc.) You never know what a dog's been through, and what might set it off.

That said, I think you've got a winner.

[arhaney]

There is a possibility that some drove through the area and abandoned the dog. I know that if one or both of my dogs were missing, I would move heaven and earth to find them.

I think you have been adopted!

I have to agree, our dog wandered off for 20 minutes the other day and my wife almost stroked! (Bet she wouldn't do the same for me! )

[spearsm]

Izu came up missing? Did Mom have you out on the 4 wheeler looking feverishly?
I remember when our 15 year old Hobbes da Beagle disappeared for 2-3 days my wife lost sleep. I also remember when I was growing up, our beagles ran the woods all the time. that was just the way it was.....I tried to convince the wife that Hobbes was out on vacation.....Well...it didn't work.....

[arhaney]

Izu came up missing? Did Mom have you out on the 4 wheeler looking feverishly?

Gee, how in the world did you know that?

[spearsm]

HA! I knew it!