Rehoming a pet is one of the most heartbreaking choices one can make. But it’s rarely a choice one goes back on. However, one Reddit user was left torn after finding her former pet in the animal shelter. She eventually decided to readopt her.
In the Reddit post, which was in the r/AITA subreddit, she asked two crucial questions: Firstly, should she return the dog to the most recent owner? Secondly, would she be in the wrong if she decided to keep her?
The 24-year-old began by explaining that, six months ago, she rehomed her dog to a house near her boyfriend because her brother, who she lived with, didn’t want a dog. However, she noticed that the dog owners would “constantly” set her loose.
“I would constantly see her loose roaming the block on multiple occasions and so would [my boyfriend],” she wrote. “She would end up at his door waiting for him to come home and sometimes when she got loose roaming around she would come sit with us for a an hour or so before they noticed she was even gone.”
A dilemma
One day, the Reddit user found a picture of the dog on her local animal control’s social media.
“I ended up picking her up because I couldn’t in my heart leave her there,” she explained. “She had been there for 3-4 days before they made a post about their recent strays. They said nobody has called or contacted them since they had her.”
Because the owner has kids, the Redditor said that they had “every intention of giving the dog back. But she noted that the owners “aren’t taking proper precautions” to prevent the animal from escaping, which, according to her, was happening pretty much “every day.
This left OP with a dilemma. “I’m torn on if I should give her back or keep her since I do have the means to keep her now,” she wrote. “I microchipped her when I picked her up so she’s registered to me which can be an easy transfer if I give her back.” She noted that she lives in a “heavily populated” city, which makes her worry about the dog potentially being hit by a car. “So basically what I’m asking is am I the a**hole if I decide to keep her?” she asked.
Is she in the wrong?
In the comments, Reddit users gave their verdict on the situation, and most of them were in favor of OP keeping the dog.
“Keep YOUR dog and protect them,” one wrote. “End of the day how much damage can it really do to the family involved since they cant even take care of the dog and they even lets it go back to an animal control center. That is ANIMAL NEGLECT on their side. Keep and give that dog the love and attention they deserve.”
Another added, “You picked her up for animal control. That makes her yours in my book. That and she keeps coming home to you. So keep her. Those kids can get a dog from their parents in the future when they understand responsibility.”
“You legally adopted a stray whose owners chose not to pick her up from the shelter,” a third echoed. “If she had a collar with tags, the owners knew as the shelter would have called them. The dog getting loose so much means, to me, they were hoping she’d stay gone. Thankfully, she ended up at the shelter and you got her before she was euthanized. They’ve forfeited all rights to the dog. Enjoy having her back.”
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