SPCA

When I first moved to Vancouver, I went to a job interview but couldn't find the place. I did find a dog and took it home. The dog showed signs of being abused. I never tried to find it's owner and kept the dog.

12 Comments

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Thief

Aug 11, 2022 at 6:33pm

“Obvious signs of abuse” being what exactly? Were they thin? Did they have cuts or abrasions? Maybe a matted coat? Any of those things could have been caused from being lost or injured. You had no right whatsoever to keep that dog. The right thing to do if you find a lost dog or cat is to try to locate the owner. If the animal is genuinely a stray, abandoned, or has been abused, it’s not up to you to decide that without doing the proper due diligence first. That dog very well might have been a beloved family member. Shame on you.

7 11Rating: -4

Good job

Aug 12, 2022 at 10:44am

Abusers don't any animals. Too many animals are abused and society expect people to locate their "owners". You saved an animal who needed love and care. Good job!

7 3Rating: +4

@Good job

Aug 12, 2022 at 7:24pm

But how does anyone know that the neglect they see on an animal is due to abuse, or just because they are lost? You don’t! So unless you’ve got actual evidence that the animal has been abused by a person you’re making a giant assumption. Instead, if you genuinely care, you take the responsible and necessary steps to try to find out if they were reported as missing. Animals can get lost and be afraid to go to other humans for food. If they’ve never been outside pets they’re even less likely to know how to fend for themselves. They frequently hide. They can get stuck somewhere and unable to access food or water, so they’re thin. They could have been hit by a vehicle or attacked by another animal. They could be hiding in the woods and have matted hair / fur and leaves and mud stuck to them. You just don’t know, and unless you’ve done your due diligence then you’ve got no business keeping them. Especially patting yourself on the back thinking you’re a hero for saving them when in fact you’re just being selfish. I’ve been that person whose pet disappeared (fireworks and a loose door that they managed to open in their panic!) and it’s heartbreaking. Always check with the local pound or SPCA, and also FB, CL, and pet finding services. If no one has reported them missing then it’s okay to keep them, but if you don’t then you’re no better than a thief.

3 7Rating: -4

Shame on yourself

Aug 13, 2022 at 2:18am

You obviously haven't spent time with a dog that has been beaten before and just like to abuse other humans on the internet.

3 1Rating: +2

@shame on yourself

Aug 13, 2022 at 3:08pm

As a matter of fact I have worked in shelters and I’ve also fostered. So there you go again making all kinds of assumptions. Like I said, if you did your due diligence FIRST, and didn’t find anything showing that the dog had been listed as missing, you would be free to keep them. But otherwise you don’t have that right. For all you know that dog might have been a recent rescue who was spooked and got away before having had the chance to bond with its new family. Do you have any idea how expensive it is for those organizations to bring dogs here from other countries? Perhaps the new family also had to pay a large adoption fee and they might have gone through an exhaustive application process before they got the dog. You.Don’t.Know. So you did not do anything heroic here and yes, you should be ashamed of yourself.

2 7Rating: -5

My dog was lost during a move

Aug 13, 2022 at 4:52pm

When was this?
What kind of dog?
What colour?
Did you steal my dog?

6 4Rating: +2

Procedure

Aug 15, 2022 at 12:23pm

Lost dog. Was it abused, or did something go wrong? A lost dog, or one that's been stolen and abandoned could look like an abused dog. I just hope there isn't some devastated person or family out there that never knew what happened.
Normal procedure: try to find out who owned it first, check for microchips, go to a Vet to confirm signs of abuse vs. lost or stolen dog suffering from malnutrition etc. You don't mention what the signs of abuse were.

3 2Rating: +1

@procedure

Aug 16, 2022 at 4:28am

Exactly right. Someone who finds a pet and doesn’t try to find the owner is just being inconsiderate and selfish because they want the pet for themselves. Trying to justify it as being a saviour without having even tried to find out if the animal has been reported missing doesn’t change the facts.

2 1Rating: +1

Op

Aug 16, 2022 at 7:01am

Everybody can just calm down. This was a long time ago - before off-leash parks, commercial poop bags, Petluck, Craigslist lost & found, doggy day care and the internet. I don't need to explain my confession to the peanut gallery. It's a confession.

5 2Rating: +3

Op

Aug 16, 2022 at 7:22am

Or rescue outfits and especially microchips

4 1Rating: +3

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