And someone else "finds" them and cares for them for years, but somehow you're reunited with the pet years later - should the person who cared for it in the interim be entitled for reimbursement?  (Lots of other details in this story but just wondering about the broader question)

nydailynews.com/new-york…

No...they could have easily gave the dog to the ASPCA if they couldnt have taken it in....they chose to take care of the dog...

The original owner could "reward" them for taking care of the dog. .

i think we all know what has to happen here, someone has to die.
survivor keeps the dog.

you want to munch on their sack? that's a strange way to punish someone.

wait, reimbursement?? if they took the animal in out of the goodness of their heart how could they ask for reimbursement?

^ i wonder the same thing.  In this particular case if the person who found the dog never bothered to check and see if the dog was lost by going to a vet and checking for a microchip, then isn't he SOL?

i wouldn't have thought to have the animal checked for a microchip, though if i ever found an animal and planned to take it in, the first thing i would do is take it to a vet to have it checked out to make sure it's healthy - but i guess that's standard procedure for a vet to check for a chip right away if they know the pet was "found."

this is my worst nightmare...

some people will then actually sell the dog.  I know, it sounds crazy, but it happens.

it's quite lucrative.

i'm sorry, i meant ludicrous.

lol

hey, ! look at the good side, he did not sell the dog.

I would pay up or steal my dog...  ;p

I actually lost a great 2 months old puppy and like a month later a lady in the hood walked around with the same dog. I let it slide because I had more dogs and I wasn't gonna go kill someone over a dog. I am strong believer that some bad things happen for a greater good and we have to let nature takes its course.

This Yorkie dogs tend to do that they run outside and get lost.
This one, I lost:
youtube.com/watch?v=IKjl…

2 months later, I found a cat. This nice cat stood in front of my apt for 3 days. I was feeding her and she was following me like a dog, so she chose me. After 3 days, I took her.

i'm sorry, but 6 years is a long time... if it were a few days or few weeks, then obvious efforts were made to return the dog to its proper owner, but 6 years and it just accidentally happened because the vet randomly decided to check for a microchip, that doesn't seem like something the guy should be rewarded for... he chose to treat the dog as his own, so that's his responsibility, and he should not be reimbursed for that... however, i do think it's right for the guy who took care of the dog to ask for a settlement in terms of "if you want your dog bag, buy it from me, because i think the dog is mine, but I'm willing to sell it to you if you want..." but oh god, this is a nightmare...

this is why i smother my dog until he is sick of me and spend my days swimming in paranoia over his every move. and check the tightness of his collar every 5 seconds. and grip his leash until my knuckles turn white. i live in fear of this moment.

youtube.com/watch?v=v9vF…

Hey, Shana, how do you react when someone yells at you for your dog approaching theirs? Because their dog is anti-social, and of course it's all your fault, and your dog's fault for being a dog and wanting to greet the other dog, like all dogs do and should...

I make it clear that I don't want any dogs to approach mine. If an owner still tries to bring his dog over, I will go apeshit on him.

No reason to go ape-shit. Just be clear that you and your dog want to be left alone. But you have to preemptively act, if you want to be left alone. It's not fair if you go ape-shit AFTER someone comes up to you. Dogs are just being dogs. But if you're going to be isolated, then you gotta do a good job at isolating yourself, otherwise it's your own damn fault.

Dave L. - i've only had my dog for a year, but no one's ever yelled at me for anything involving my dog before. i keep him on a short leash, so to speak, and when he has greeted other dogs, it's because i see someone letting their dog run towards mine, so i let him run towards theirs. if a dog seems like he could be antisocial / aggressive, i ask first. and when a dog starts barking i don't let him approach at all, or i pull him away. (because like i said, i'm super paranoid!) i also don't let him run up on dogs who are much bigger than him without asking first, unless it's some smiling golden retriever high on life or something.

TL;DR i try to read the owner as much as i read their dog, before something bad happens...

a little off topic but -- my dog hates pitbulls with a passion unless they are puppies, and i've learned that other rescue dogs have a similar problem. is there a reason why a lot of small rescues target are sensitive to pitbulls in particular?

my dog was attacked by a pit bull when he was a puppy, totally cornered and pinned, i was about ready to pick that f*cker up and throw him across the leash -- which is when i learned to never again approach a dog wearing a choke chain...

I make it clear that I don't want to be approached. If I see another dog coming towards us, I will stop, move to the side, shorten the leash and make sure I am between my dog and them. I also make eye contact with the owner and shake my head.

If they still let their dog wander over (and this has happened to me), I go apeshit on them.

Maybe ape-shit is a bit extreme. Why not just do your best Greta Garbo impersination? I VANT TO BEE ALOHN!

I use one of those soft Puppia harnesses, and my dog has wiggled out of it while freaking out at other dogs. One time I had to chase him down and caught him right before he ran into a busy street.

And maybe ape-shit is not an accurate description of my reaction. Where does yelling "Get the fuck away you fucking cunt" rate?

Oh, Jesus, you've got a runner -- ugh, sorry... Chihuahuas can be varmints, which is why when my dog walks by them he just gives them a subtle eye-contact "Hello, Good Bye" and hopes they don't start nipping at him... My boy is a total Pollyanna at heart...