No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
We get the first call for our found dog sign, and it sounds like the owner has all the right answers. The only trouble is a gut feeling tells us this is NOT Finn's home. The emailed photos are not exactly right- they don't match his facial coloring, or his long skinny legs. The hips look wider and heavier, and something is just- "off" about the discription. However, the assumed owner immediately becomes defensive, and calls repeatedly, accusing Cassy of stealing his dog. He says, "I WILL get my dog!"
Cassy gets texts and calls every few minutes while she is at work. She comes to have lunch at my house, where Finn is staying for the day. She is scared now. This is not what a normal person would do. They would either check out the dog, or not assume we are theives, if we put out signs. He takes down one of the signs. He has the police call Cassy, and she is to call back.
What a mess!
This is the plan: we must take the dog to the police station at 5:30, and the police will help decide if he is their lost dog. I feel as if there is no chance this will turn out favorable for the dog- whether or not it is really his dog. He will say it is his, to save face. "Let it go," I say. To create peace the police will probably pass the dog to the irrate "assumed owner" and give him possession.
Cassy asks Jim to drive her, as she is even afraid to be followed home or harrassed after leaving the police station. We are all anxious and stressed out as Cassy, Erin, Jim and Finn leave. An hour later we get a call explaining what happened.
The irrate owner, his wife and 4 kids all arrived at the police station to claim their dog, and within seconds claimed in disappointment, "This is not our dog!" The ex-owner apologized, was very sorry for being as threatening, and angry, and handed back the sign he had taken. They immediately left, sadly without their beloved still lost dog. We came home with Finn, still looking for his owners. We were now very unsure if we were doing the right thing. If trying to put up signs, feeding and caring for a lost dog is bringing out the worst in people, and they believe you are stealing him, when you truly believe it is NOT their dog.....how can we help the dog that will not end up by hurting us? We need not harm our family or ourselves by caring for a defenseless animal that is running loose on the street that might be hit by a car. I guess there is always a risk we run, that no good deed goes unpunished.
Cassy gets texts and calls every few minutes while she is at work. She comes to have lunch at my house, where Finn is staying for the day. She is scared now. This is not what a normal person would do. They would either check out the dog, or not assume we are theives, if we put out signs. He takes down one of the signs. He has the police call Cassy, and she is to call back.
What a mess!
This is the plan: we must take the dog to the police station at 5:30, and the police will help decide if he is their lost dog. I feel as if there is no chance this will turn out favorable for the dog- whether or not it is really his dog. He will say it is his, to save face. "Let it go," I say. To create peace the police will probably pass the dog to the irrate "assumed owner" and give him possession.
Cassy asks Jim to drive her, as she is even afraid to be followed home or harrassed after leaving the police station. We are all anxious and stressed out as Cassy, Erin, Jim and Finn leave. An hour later we get a call explaining what happened.
The irrate owner, his wife and 4 kids all arrived at the police station to claim their dog, and within seconds claimed in disappointment, "This is not our dog!" The ex-owner apologized, was very sorry for being as threatening, and angry, and handed back the sign he had taken. They immediately left, sadly without their beloved still lost dog. We came home with Finn, still looking for his owners. We were now very unsure if we were doing the right thing. If trying to put up signs, feeding and caring for a lost dog is bringing out the worst in people, and they believe you are stealing him, when you truly believe it is NOT their dog.....how can we help the dog that will not end up by hurting us? We need not harm our family or ourselves by caring for a defenseless animal that is running loose on the street that might be hit by a car. I guess there is always a risk we run, that no good deed goes unpunished.
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