A lost puppy in Los Angeles has led to a battle between the dog’s former owner and the rescue organization that gave the puppy to another family. Raffiki, an eight-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, somehow slipped out of the Torres family’s home about a month ago. Rosa Torres did everything she knew how to do to find the beloved family pet—checking her local shelter, scouring the neighborhood, etc. But Raffiki had ended up at another shelter farther away. By the time Torres found her, an animal rescue group had given the dog to another family. And now they say that Raffiki will not be given back to her original family.
Watch the video above, and the read the story linked below. What do you think?
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The dog, formerly named Raffiki, is seen here with 4-year-old Daniel Torres.
Photo via nydailynews.com
If the dog wasn’t abandoned. If it wasn’t abused and the original owner made actual efforts to get the dog…. It should be given back to the original family.
I work at a shelter, and this can happen from time to time. If the origanal owner had tags on the dog, there wouldn’t be an issue. Shelters are required to hold dogs for 3 days if they dont have i.d. tags. Then they must decide on disposition of the animal. That may be adoption, and or transfer to another rescue. In overcrowded shelters, and in the case of vicious dogs it may even be euthanized. Once ownership has been transferred to another organization, or the dog is adopted it is out of the original shelters hands.What should happen in this case, is the people who adopted the dog should do the right thing and return the dog to the family ( Maybe buy them some id tags while they are at it ). Then they could go to the rescue and ask for a refund, or adopt another dog. There are millions of other dogs in shelters that need homes, and Im sure they could find one. Then this family wouldnt be going through the pain of knowing their beloved dog is alive and well, but not able to be with them. It is a sad situation, but one that could be easily rectified if someone would step up and do what is right.