Dog adopted by new family; original owners want it back

[pwner]

I think we should find out who these jackasses are who are keeping this dog and broadcast it. There has got to be something seriously wrong with someone. A HUGE lack of character!!

I'd picket their house and their places of business if I knew who they were. I'd make their lives a living hell until they stopped being such low life punks and gave the dog back.

I hope you're reading this. You suck and you're losers!

P.S. It doesn't matter why the family didn't think to call the humane society. I've lost a dog before. We put up posters and called our vet and went searching. People don't always know all the right things to do when they're faced with a situation. The Humane Society sucks too.

[Lynn]

For one thing, why does the so called "HUMANE" society only hold dogs for a max of 7 days.
This dog belongs to the original owner. It is still in the custody of the "HUMANE" society, so the original owners should have claim to it. By the way, I would be wary to give this dog to a new family. If they don't have the heart to do what is best for the dog, they should be denied ownership of any animal. A true dog lover does everything for the animals. Shame on the "INHUMANE" Society of Ottawa County and the so called new owners. People should stop the funding for the Ottowa "humane" society. Why would you give any donation or volunteer any time to an organization without a heart? Give the dog back and change your rules.

[Pet owner]

Where do you think the dog would rather be? I don't think the Humane Society is to blame...they kept the dog for longer than they needed to, but the new owners should have a heart and give the dog back to it's original owners. That poor dog is probably confused and belongs at it's rightful home...the one it's known for nine years.

[Gwinnie]

The new owners really need to give her back. Years ago, I called a humane society to pick up a female beagle puppy. I drove nearly 3 hours to pick her up and when I got there she had been adopted by someone else. I was really disappointed but looked at other puppies they had available instead. I ended up falling in love with a chubby black lab mix and never regretted picking him up instead. Point being, the owners need to look at other dogs because this one already has home.

[Kathy]

If my dog went missing, I would try every option possible to look for him on the first day he went missing, not nine days later. Shelters are overwhelmed with pets whose owners never come looking for them. I am glad that Mia got a second chance on life, unlike many of the other dogs that are there for 7 days and never get that second chance. I hope the new owners enjoy their time with her.

[Responsible Pet Owner]

If a person is going to own a pet, they need to learn responsibility. A pure bred dog should be kept in a fenced in yard. It should also be microchipped ($15 last I knew and sometimes free if you can't afford it), wear a collar with the dog's name ($5 at our local Allegan area vet), and have a license for the county that shows proof of rabies shot. Why these people owned a pure bred dog and did not care for it properly, one will never know. However, they do not deserve to have the dog back. Perhaps the new family of the Irish Setter will be better owners.

Another thing I have an issue with is why this family waited so long to contact the area shelters and humane society. If a pet ever got loose and you were unable to find it, immediately call those places and check the websites. Obviously they did not love the dog enough to do that.

I have a pure bred border collie and, as a responsible pet owner, she is licensed, microchipped, and has a name tag including our address and phone number. Our old dog was a mutt, but she was also microchipped, licensed, and had a name tag on her collar. She was also kept in a fenced in yard.

The Zwagerman's should consider this an expensive and heartbreaking lesson. I hope their future pets are taken care of.

[Responsible Pet Owner]

Holland wrote:

They did not do the responsible thing. Seriously, they did not tag their dog and didn't check at the Humane Society for a week! The dog is a living creature that deserves more care than that.
Anybody who disagrees with me on this is wrong.

Agreed.

[Sorry Charlie]

It's called a DOG LICENSE and it is required by law.

[Jenn]

It is pretty pathetic that the new owners who did not even have the dog living with them yet are not willing to do the right thing. My best advice to them is remember the golden rule. Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Please reconsider and do the right thing. And to the rightful owners, we are ALL human and will make mistakes, use this as a learning experience for the future.

[I am who I am]

My brother lost his dog last year...it ended up at the Animal Shelter...my other brother went there and saw Buster there....he said he would be back the next day with my brother who owned Buster and they would bring photos to prove he was his dog....the next day Buster was unavailable...they wouldn't say whether they had killed him or what....Disgusting!!! My brother had this dog for many years also. If these places feel they can make a buck off the dog they would rather do that then reunite them with their owners. A couple years back we had a dog come to our yard....we kept her until we found the rightful owner...I put up ads at the grocery store...went to all the vets in our town, posted a sign at the end of our driveway....it took a couple days to find the owner who was just a few houses away......they were happy to have her back and I was sad to see her go....but it was the right thing to do. What's a little dog food and a little time when you can make people so happy by not turning their pet into the Kill it Society.
The Humane society wouldn't let us adopt a dog...a collie...we knew the breed even owned one...because our cat was not spade....um, last time I checked dogs and cats don't breed with each other. They would rather put the dog to sleep then let us have it...and by have I mean buy it from them for a big price and have it neutered....so for the same price we ended up going to a breeder and buying a Collie Pup. Sad we couldn't help the one that was already needing a home though. We live in the country with a fenced back yard also.

Do the right thing and GIVE that DOG BAck to it's rightful Owners who have had him for 9 years!!! That dog is wondering where it's family is, wouldn't you?!!! That's almost like taking someones Child from them. Your Disgusting!!

[Dr Phil]

Look, people, "doing the right thing" was the responsibility of the original owner. The original owner should have obtained the proper dog license which, in fact, happens to be required by law.

It is AMAZING to me how many people b.itch at the animal shelters because they can't get their dog back when if they had only "done the right thing" in the first place and followed the laws by licensing the dog then they could have had Fido back home where he belonged.

But no, instead they disregard the laws of our land and then blame someone else when they don't get their way.

What a bunch of spoiled brats!

[reality]

Ooooh, I think this is asinine

[Walt_B5]

This dog not being returned to the original and rightful owners is disgusting!
The animal in question and pictured in this evenings broadcast is a Llewellyn variety English Setter. It is not an Irish Setter as stated in this evenings broadcast. As such it is a well documented fact that there are no two English Setters with Identical markings,EVER!Even when wealped from the same litter. Consequently when this family says it is their dog due to identifying markings, IT IS THEIR DOG!
A few things should not go without note with regard to this situation.
How ironic it is that the dog in question is a breed of considerable monetary value. The dog likely would have been returned to the owners if it were a mixed-breed of little or no monetary value.
Furthermore Llewellyn English Setters are very popular with hunters of upland game birds. The Humane Society is very direct in its anti-hunting position. This begs the question, is the adopting out of this dog by Harbor Humane Society more consistent with the Humane Society's political agenda than returning the dog to its rightful owners?
In defense of the owners these dogs can be "birdy" and they love to run. People remove collars for grooming. Mistakes happen.
If it were my dog I would be consulting an attorney!
Walter M. Byington(and Digger, our English Setter)
Wyoming

[Jesse]

The director is hiding and will not comment on or off camera, these are the actions of a person who knows he has done wrong. I think everyone should withhold their donations to this organization until there is a change of leadership.

[Richard]

Screw the original owners. They didn't take care of the dog.

[Bobbiez]

Wow...such hostility on this site. If these people had proper ID tags, and a proper license on their dog this could have been avoided. They should be glad they don't live in Montcalm County...the dog would probably be at a research facility by now. This should not be a public spectacle. I would hope that the people who adopted the dog would change their mind and give the dog back to the original owners. I would also hope that the original owners would offer to reimburse the adopters any fees and adoption costs, and offer to do the same for them to pick out a new dog. We have 2 dogs, one that I adopted from the Humane Society, and one that was found as a stray when he was only 4 months olds. Our first dog was adopted when he was approximately 6 years old. He had been hit by a car, and the person who hit him dropped him off at the Humane Society. We bonded with him immediately. He has been "mama's baby" ever since. I'm a bit upset with WOODTV "stirring the pot" on this story. This should be able to be worked out...outside of the court of public opinion. All of this publicity is only going make things worse.

[Jenn]

If these "owners" were so concerned about their dog, why wait 8 days to call ,not go to, to the only Animal Shelter in Ottawa County. It is only 5 minutes, north of Holland to see if their dog was there.

How did the dog go missing, why did she not have tags (as required by law)? Why blame the place that cared for, gave her food, water and shelter for 8 days.

I am sure, that being the only Animal Shelter in Ottawa County, they are slammed daily with unwanted and stray animals.

Give these hard working, never tiring people who see the worst of animal treatment on a daily basis a break.

They followed the law.

[Bobbiez]

Jesse wrote:

The director is hiding and will not comment on or off camera, these are the actions of a person who knows he has done wrong. I think everyone should withhold their donations to this organization until there is a change of leadership.

Yeah, that's it. Let's all withhold donations. Less food, medical care, and other necessities for the animals...that will show them.

[welcome to GR]

My dog has a collar with his tags, rabies, vet tag, and his address tag. He was stolen from my fenced in back yard. The people were nice enough to leave his collar unhooked inside my back porch door.
Lot of good having the tags on my dog did me, the police couldn't/wouldn't help me when I did locate who had my dog. I had no proof. They said all labs look alike so having picutes of a black dog with my house in the background wasn't going to work........

I stole my dog back a few days later, neutered him and had him microchipped.

The same person who had him the first time attempted to steal him again. My husband walked outside as the guy was walking in our fenced in backyard with a leash.

[Grand Rapids Dog Owner]

People here are the FACTS:
I am the neighbor of the owners of this dog.
The dog has been running around the neighborhood for years!
It is lucky to be alive.
It also was NEVER brought inside. It lived out in the cold for years...freezing cold.
It was never spayed. It has had several litters because the family did not give a crap about the animal until now.
If you knew or saw the condition this animal was in-- you would be happy to see it has a new loving home with people who care about it.
Don't comment or make judgements about others without knowing the facts.