found a stray sick dog and the owner wants it back now that he’s healthy?

Without any additional details, its impossible to know if the person asking for the dog back was taking good care of it or paid for any surgeries. A different owner or shelter even further back could have paid for it. OP wants to know if they have any legal standing to keep the dog. We're not detectives, so we're just going to tell OP if we think they have legal standing or not.

Also, do I think a dog can deteriorate fast outdoors? Yes. But I don't think those issues are easily overlooked if they happened before the dog was outside. Heartworm shouldn't happen if the dog takes preventatives, fleas and ear infections are noticeable, and the teeth were described as rotting.

Now for opinions, of course I think the dog should go back to it's original owner, only if that owner was actually taking good care of it. I also think the original owner should pay for the care the dog received, though.

/r/dogs Thread Parent