Might seem like a stupid idea and most people DO own their dogs, but not everybody has the legal rights to the dog they claim as theirs. Kids do not legally own their dogs. "Your" dog might legally be your partners, etc.
I have a slightly different story. Hooch, the dog I call "mine" is legally a shelter's. He's a long-term foster dog that took pity on one day to the point whether I asked if I could take him home for the weekend. That was last year and he is still with me. :o) The agreement myself and the shelter have is that they will pay for his vet fees if we pay for his food and give him something that resembles a home. He was pretty unadoptable to be honest, but as they're no-kill he'd have just been sat there miserable for the rest of his days. I can't for the life of me work out why they trusted me with him considering I had eff all experience with dogs but they did and everything has been fine. He's a happy, healthy and secure dog now. Oh, he's not perfect, but much better than he was. Hooch gets a home, I get an amazing dog and the shelter gets kennel space and saves on food. We all win.
Obviously I know that the shelter still legally has the right to adopt him out, at least in theory. However, we've all come to the conclusion that he's too happy with us to disrupt him now. It's just not worth the £200 adoption fee to do that to him. I hope to adopt him myself anyway one day, when my finances are secure.
I thought loads of people have long-term ofster dogs but I asked on here once and no one seemed to have a clue what I was talking about so I'm thinking my story is a bit unusual.
Any other stories?
BFT, you're entitled to your opinion, but I'm no sucker. It's called having a heart.
And FYI when I had him, he was NOT adoptable. He was assessed and was deemed far too nervous to be adopted (that was the gist of it anyway). He would be now but why disrupt him?
Always room for a little hostility.
Or sellable, whatever term you prefer.
They're a tiny shelter and don't have a website. I offered to set one up for them once but they declined. Not sure why - it could have got them so much more publicity.
I don't think he's being advertised. Like I said, he's happy, they're happy, we're happy. Why spoil the situation?
To be honest, I don't talk to them regularly. I'll email the manager occasionally to tell them Hooch is ok and ask how the other dogs are doing. The only other time I speak to them is if Hooch needs to see the vet, but that's rare.
No, they don't check up on him. I wondered why sometimes but I've proven I'm trustworthy. The times they've seen him everyone has commented on how great he's doing, so they know he's fine with me. I guess they're pretty busy.
Answer by Kaper
My youngest German Shepherd does not belong to us. He is a Police dog and is property of the department. They pay his vet and food bills, paid to have a kennel built and we look after him. If for any reason my boyfriend cannot be the handler, there is a good chance he will be assigned to someone else.
Fortunately for us, once he retires, he will be ours.
My oldest GSD was my BF's dog before we got together, my Lab was mine. I guess if we split that is how it would go, but it is hard to imagine separating them, they are extremely close. My Lab was a puppy when we moved in so he grew up with the GSD.
Answer by Teresa
I have never heard of this myself but I think this is a win win situation. I would think that there must me loads of people who would like to do this if they knew this type of agreement could be done.
Well done you.
Answer by Blunt Force Trauma
I don't buy pound-hounds....I sure won't dink around in legal-limbo w/one.
If the pound found a sucker to take a dawg on,more power to em.
"Un-sellable" dogs are usually moved on to KILL pounds,btw. Out the back door. So the "no-kills" keep their records clean,w/out warehousing animals forever.
Answer by Lui's my boy!
Interesting question!
I was 9 when we got Lui, and he was and still is registered under my mum's name. And even then, he isn't 100% hers, because Lui's breeder still owns breeding and showing rights. Of course, she doesn't treat him as hers, and he is our dog, but if he had been shown to championship chances are he would have been bred. She had a massive accident about 4 years ago though, so stopped showing for ages, and to be honest I think something that she wishes she could have done was get him championship and breed, she is constantly telling me about all his good features.
But, like I said, he is ours.
But, then again, not mine. Of course I have "claimed" Lui, I say he is mine and I walk, feed, groom, bath and show him, but he isn't legally. Eventually, once I move out and have a full-time job etc I would like him to live with me, he is my boy (as my username says!) but even then I have no idea.
Lui is a family dog, and everyone loves him, but they all know that I treat him as mine and let me.
I know he is treated as mine, not only by me but by my family as well, but every time dog registration comes around and the letter is addressed to my mum that her dog needs to be registered it gets to me a little tiny bit. Like one day, I would love to get that letter. I would love it to say "Sarah, you need to pay for registration again for your dog". It no big deal, but one day I'd like it. Of course, paying for it isn't so fun, we get a responsible owner discount but because he's intact it costs more, but for me to get it would be more of a symbolic thing, like someone else (albeit our useless city council, we have the highest rates in the country and useless councillors and useless animal control and a useless mayor) actually sees him as mine.
Answer by Bobby
you can go to jail if you don't own the dog.
Answer by Wicked Witch™ of the West
Your situation is pretty unique. IF the shelter decided to adopt him to someone else you would probably have a legal case for keeping him since you have been his "primary caregiver". I'm not saying I think this would happen.
I did a long time foster once of an older Afghan Hound. My Afghan club rescued her and her sister, (their owner had died), the club "legally" owned her, being a member of the club, I was considered part of the ownership. We couldn't find her a home because she was older and Afghans are hard to place anyway, so she just lived out her life with me. If a "non-foster" home had come along for her I would have done what was right, because she came to love me and my other dogs, I would have kept her anyway.
In a different scenario, I know a whole city full of people that don't "legally" own their dogs. Boulder Colorado has legislation on the books that make people their dog's guardian!
How's that for mass stupidity?! A whole city of people that let their local government take away their constitutional property rights.
Just another victory for the animal rights agenda. As bad as, and falling right in line with BSL and madatory spay and neuter laws.
Answer by Single Worker 1230
Wow 200 pounds, that quite an adoption fee. That's around $ 350 in US money ( I think). The adoption fee at my local shelter/pound is only $ 50 and all are vaccinated and most are spay/neutered. Sure the shelter could still adopt him out, but would they. Is he in their database of adoptable animals? This would include on their website, picture books, and on posters? If not I wouldn't worry about it as he is not up for public adoption. Some shelters just want fosters in a good home adoption or not. Yes it's true, I fostered a cat for 17 years. I even moved with him twice. No adoption fee was paid and the shelter knew where he was at. They were just happy that Harry wasn't in their shelter.
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