Schnauzer Talk!

About a month ago, I adopted my second rescue and with that blessing my house became a home for two miniature schnauzers. I picked him from the local animal shelter as a stray as nobody had came to claim him and therefor he became the property of the city and put up for adoption. He adjusted well to my home and bonded with my daughter and our other schnauzer. Of course we got him groomed, neutered, vaccinated, and chipped as soon as we could.

The other day he managed to dig a hole under the fence and escaped. I took off from work to look for him; and my wife, our other dog, and I came to spend hours searching all over the neighborhood for him. We repeatedly called the local shelters and reported him as missing with the Home Again website. After he had been missing for about six hours we got a phone call ... FROM HIS OLDER OWNERS.

Apparently he had ran all the way back their home. They were very excited to have their dog, who had been missing for over a month, back in their home. So they wanted us to know that they intended to keep him for a few days before deciding if they were going to keep him forever or return him to us. Needless to say that was unacceptable for us, we told them that we had adopted him from the local animal shelter and that we were now his legal owners. We also told them that he had already bonded with my daughter and our other schnauzer (true).

Later that evening they called back and told us to come and get him. I went to pick him up together with my daughter and our other dog. His old owners seemed nice enough and they had two more dogs in the home (not schnauzers). I have a feeling that they were not happy about giving him up but they realized that they have no legal rights to him (and that he was chipped with our information).

He is now back in our home and seem to be quite happy. However, we are worried that he might run away to their house again and that perhaps next time they will try to keep him and not tell us.

Have anyone had a similar experience? While we have the legal right to him do we also have the moral right? Yes, he belonged to them first for several years but they didn't even think to look in the local shelter for him (only five minutes away from their house) and if we hadn't adopted him he would be dead now (unless somebody else adopted him) as the shelter is a kill shelter.

God this is a tough one

I dont know what to suggest a month is not long to have him, verses a few years for the original owners but as you say they didnt try very hard to find him if they ddint even look at the local rescue

Can you further secure your garden so he doesnt get back again to them

I must say if id lost my dog only for a month then found them again, id be mortified to have to let someone new have them, i think id have to seek legal advice, as to if there was any chance to have the dog back with me

I do however feel for you, its not a good situation

Keep us posted

maybe, just maybe, if you think you need to offer, you could offer him back if they pay back everything you put into him, his vet bills and grooming, including the cost of food and collars and shampoos and such. they may not be quite so eager to want him then. you are taking a chance though as they may want him bad enough to reimburse you. how long did the pound hold him before putting him up for adoption?
i truly don't know what i would do in that situation.

Sad that it didn't occur to them to check the shelters I know I would be horrified to lose one of my babies and wonder what they went through when they lost him? It sounds like you do have the right to keep him but I agree that perhaps giving them the opportunity to reimburse all of your expenses to return him to them might be a nice gesture. He ran back to his old home? Do you think he might miss them too?

At least if you give them that opportunity you might be able to be sure in your heart that you did the right thing? You won't have to wonder if they decline to reimburse you....

Oh no, that's awful. I'm amazed he found his way home (reminds me of Benji!)

I know that even after two days you would be in love with the new member of your family, so I can imagine the thought of giving him up would be terrible.

From what the others have said, if one of my girls ment missing and then found her again, I would want her back too. However I have them microchipped and they wear collars. I lost Pip one day when we were on holidays (a friend left the gate open) and I searched for hours. I can imagine that if I didn't find her I would've contacted all vets/shelters etc. I have also received e-mails that are passed on from people looking for their lost dog. From what you are saying I would question whether they were really committed to find their dog.

For peace of mind, perhaps what has been suggested (getting reimbursed for your expenses) may be the way to go. I would find it heartbreaking though. I suspect that they will decline.

Out of interest, what was your impression of them and how they acted with their pets and did they seem well looked after? You also had a point, you saved this doggy's life!

All the best, and keep us posted.

This is a sticky situation. I know if one of my dogs went missing, it is my responsibility to check local shelters and pounds for them. If the owner didn't, then the dog should be available for adoption (as it was). However, it would break my heart if someone told me they wanted to keep him after I had him forever! good luck!

Well here is my take.
1. Your new pup got lose by digging under the fence. Fix that problem, first.
2. They live 5 minutes from the animal shelter where he was the whole time that he was missing and they didn't even check it? A little strange if you ask me, especially if they were at all worried about where he might be.
3. They found him after he went looking for them, not the other way around.
4. They called you and told you they had him and said they were going to keep him a couple of days to see if they really wanted him back? Another red flag in my book.
5. So you let them know that wasn't acceptable and you were coming to get him and they let you take him. They didn't offer to reimburse you for anything just so they could have him back. OOPS another red flag.

Sounds to me like the dog is yours. Legally and morally. I don't think they were really that worried about him in the first place and realized that he had a better home with you. Keep him. He is yours. He is adjusting well and before long he will understand that his home is with you and not try to run away again, hopefully. I don't mean to sound insensitive to the original owners, but I just don't think they tried very hard to find him in the first place. You obviously love and want him or you wouldn't have gone out of your way to travel to their house to get him, had him microchipped etc. He is yours, plain and simple. Just my opinion.

Good luck.

Ditto!!! I was formulating the response in my head...basically what you wrote. He's yours in all aspects as far as I'm concerned. If they loved the dog they would have 1. Looked for him in the local shelter and 2. Not needed "a few days to decide". Fix the digging fence issue and he will adjust and have a much better life. No guilt.

As I read the messages, the word that came to mind is that the dog has wanderlust. Seems whoever is the owner, the dog just wanders off. Additionally, the dog does not know what legal ownership is, so that point is irrelevent to him. I would suggest he needs 24/7 watch when he is outdoors. Given the love abounding in his new (your) home he just may well know 'what side his toast is buttered on' and stay.
Is this your first schnausie? They have a characteristic of 'needing' human company and they will fret when left alone too long.





Your patience will be rewarded.

Welcome to our forum - we are always here if you need help.

They gave the old owners three days to come and claim him. After that he was put up for adoption (and given 10 days to get a new owner)



I would assume so. But it doesn't necessary mean that he would not miss my family more now.



It turned out that their house is not too far away from our house. It is located in a nearby neighborhood and I might even be able to see the roof of their house from the roof of my 2-story house



My daughter consider him to be her dog and I definitely didn't have the heart to break hers by returning him.



If I had found him as a stray on the street, I would definitely have given him back to them. But to me the deal breaker is that they left him in the shelter for at least three days and that he would be dead now if not adopted. Also, the wife of the family said that she actually saw me walking the dog a few weeks earlier but she didn't stop the car despite recognizing him. I do not know about you but if I saw somebody walking my missing dog I would definitely stop my car to at least have a talk with them to find out what's going on.



They seemed to be the average run-of-the-mill dog owners. Taking adequate care of their dogs but at the same time not going out of their way to ensure that the dogs has everything their need; i.e. not keeping up with vaccinations, not spaying or neutering, only feeding them grocery store brand food, not grooming as often as they should, no micro chipping, etc.



In the original conversation the wife claimed that her husband called the shelter and they said that they did not have him. Whether or not that's a true statement I do not know. They also initially claimed the he was micro chipped which was a lie. The shelter confirmed to me that they had scanned the dog for a micro chip and that there was none.

How long they actually had this 4-year old dog I don't really know. I was told that he was originally a hand-me-down from the husband's brother. He moved to Hawaii (military) and didn't want to bring the dog with him as he would have needed to be quarantineed for 4 months.



Originally they refused to tell us who they were (but we have Caller ID). After the first conversation, we contacted the animal shelter who confirmed our legal rights and told us to call the cops on the old owners. However, the old owners called back a few minutes later and told us to come and get him.

Apparently they decided to give him up after finding that he no longer responded to his old name and by the fact that he seemed to be much calmer now than he was before he left.



He is my second schnauzer rescue. I had been looking for a pal for the white miniature schnauzer we adopted about seven months ago.

Thank you all for your responses and your welcomes.

In any case here is Ivan ...



... with our other dog, Charlie.

Well...bottom line is that you'll give him a better home than he had and he's yours...legally and emotionally. Beef up the fence and he'll settle in fine. He's a real cutie and they look great together!

They do look great together Seems to be working out for you...congrats on your addition.

Hi again
Reading more about the story, i think its way the best for Ivan he stay with you, hes one lucky boy

Ivan looks right at home in the pics. He is beautiful and finally has a loving home.

Awesome! Yours all your!

He's worth fighting for! He is very handsome; I can see why your daughter loves him.

I'm so glad this story ended with a happy owner and a happy, handsome schnauzer! Your two guys look like they belong together, congratulations!!

After reading through your responses, all I can say is that he is lucky to have you. She drove past, saw you walking Ivan and didn't stop?? Now that is bizarre. Ivan will be much happier with you and your family.

I think he is yours lock, stock and barrel. No question about it from here.

These people sound fishy to me.....are you sure they ever owned him??

If there was such a "great love" for him, (in my opinion) he would have been chipped, neutered, maybe a collar with a rabies tag, or a collar with an id. Also, he would or should have been reasonalbly clean.....

And, what was the name of THEIR vet?? He could have at least verify the dog's ownership, IF he ever HAD any vet care.

He has a wonderful home with you, and if they couldn't /wouldn't put more effort into finding him.....they don't deserve to have him.
I have horses, dogs, and cats (we live on A 21 acre horse ranch) and they ALL have vaccinations, neutering, appropriate vet care (and yes, apparently not like thier "vet", my vet knows each of them well.)

I don't mean to sound so critical of these so-called "owners", but I get angry when people have pets and don't take care of them nor accept all the responsibilities that go along with it.

Hmmmmm, maybe I have been watching way to much Animal Cops on t.v.?

Kudos to you for rescuing him and giving him love, nurturing and wonderful care! He is a lucky dog!

I'm very happy that he is now a full fledged member of your family!

Will respond to your last comments later tonight. However, I do now another white male schnauzer in my house. Picked up a stray outside our house an hour ago. Seems to be quite young and not neutered. He is somewhat dirty from being outside but has a nice and recent schnauzer hair cut. No collar and name tag. Will keep him overnight as the shelter is closed for the day. Maybe I will adopt him if nobody claims him.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2374/img0274nx.jpg

Here is the dog we picked outside our house tonight. We call him 'Blue' as he has some blue stain on his rear end. No collar but seems to have been well taken care of. Taking him to the shelter tomorrow at nine.

He does well with my other dogs one-on-one. However, both of my dogs at the same time doesn't go as well. He doesn't belong to the pack and they become upset if he barks or growls at one of their pack member.

Took the stray to the city's animal shelter. They scanned him for a chip but there was none. They asked me if I could foster him over the weekend. I was a sucker and said 'yes' as I think the shelter is no place for a miniature schnauzer (or any dog for that matter), especially over the weekend with minimum staffing and unbearable heat (104F). They took my contact information and hopefully the owner will contact me within the next few hours.

Wow, keep us posted!!
He's a sweet looking little guy!!!!!

Man, no dog ever ends up on my front porch and you've had 2 in like a week!! What's your secret??

The secret is to live in a neighborhood with tons of dogs being kept in fenced-in backyards all day long? Seems like every other day I see a dog running around the neighborhood without a collar and many of them are schnauzers. According to my neighbors there are a breeder of miniature schnauzers in our neighborhood and supposedly they sell a lot of pups to local families.

I have been thinking about it. Maybe she was less enthusiastic about the dog than the rest of the family? After all, he was a 'hand-me-down' from her brother-in-law. That would explain why they wanted to keep him for a couple of days before deciding if they wanted to keep him (different opinions and wishes within the family).

The owners of the stray pup I picked up last night just stopped by. They were extremely happy to be reunited with their baby. They said they had been up to until 2am this morning looking for him.

That's good news! Now you can see the difference in the owner who wasn't so into looking for their dog and the kind who really wanted their dog back. Good job!

Great news. Hopefully they will get their dog chipped. Next time (if there is one) they may not be so fortunate. They were lucky that their dog happened to come by your house.

Ivan escaped again about an hour ago (5pm). This time he pushed his way through the front door when I was trying to get into the house. I started to run after him, while barefoot, calling for him to come back. I followed him down the hot sidewalks, through the rain water flood gate, through the overgrown path in the woods, and over a rusty barbed wire fence, all the way to his old house. I didn't catch up with him until he was standing outside the fence talking to his old K9 companions. I guess he was missing his two dog pals who apparently is being kept outside 24/7.

I grabbed him and started my way back home. Suddenly I noticed that my feet was in pain and that I could barely walk (not even on grass). After walking by a couple of houses on the street, I stopped and asked a guy to let me borrow his phone. I called my wife and had her come and pick me up. I guess that I burned my feet running barefoot on the hot concrete sidewalks and now I have big blisters on my soles. So now I am moving around in the house on my knees. But at least I still have Ivan.

Good grief! You've sacrificed a lot for Ivan, I hope he realizes. Sorry you had to go on the chase again. Hopefully he will get used to his new home quickly.

"....on my knees." Forgive me but LOL!
You can now look him in the eye. I wonder now if the dog has been trained (properly).

Have you ever thought about the in-ground fence?

an inground fence sounds like a good answer. maybe even consider the wireless one just for ivan.

Wireless, yes there was some talk a short time back on these collars, but I wouldn't even know where to start looking (sorry).

You're a good man for chasing him like that. That shows your dedication for your dog. Well done!

My god, what a guy you are, your this dogs super hero Hope your feet heal up quickly

Im sure you are going to have many storys to tell with Ivan as your family dog keep us posted

Was just watering my plants in the shine of the street light. Suddenly I heard a jingle behind me and I turned around. Yet ANOTHER miniature schnauzer was walking past me on my lawn. I tried to get him to come to me but he just ignored me and continued down the street. I started to walk after him but unfortunately my feet hurt too much so I couldn't keep up and lost him in the dark. There definitely is a stray miniature schnauzer epidemic in this neighborhood.

It looks like he is getting used to my home. He is playing and rough housing it with my other dog more and more for every day. He also appear to get more affectionate as time goes by.



I'm happy that I could amuse you. I doubt that Ivan has ever been trained besides the occasional 'sit' command followed by doggy biscuit.



I have been thinking about it. Unfortunately it's not in our budget at the moment. However, I have covered up all potential escape holes in the fence. If Ivan wants out he would have to dig through very hard dirt (takes me about two hours to dig a one-gallon sized hole).



Thanks. I'm just trying to do the right thing as a dog owner. He and Charlie are 'ohana* and I will not give up on them.

* " 'ohana means family, and family means no one left behind." - Lilo & Stitch



Hehe, thanks. Not sure if I'm a dog's superhero or just a dog's sucker. My feet are getting better. At least I can move around reasonable well now (but no brisk walks or runs). Hopefully, I will be all good by the weekend.

If you do start looking into the inground fence, check out Lowes or Home Depot first. They have very good systems for a LOT less than The Invisible Fence Co.
Good luck with that little runaway.

http://www.petco.com/product/12328/Innotek-Smart-Dog-Basic-In-Ground-Pet-Fencing-System.aspx?CoreCat=LN_Shopping_DogSupplies_YardControl
This is the one I use, back when I bought it, it was $99, it comes with one collar but you can buy or add as many collars as you want, if you watch for sales you can catch them at a good price also.

Don't want to take an unpopular position but feel I have to comment. Since Ivan has twice "escaped" & run straight to the house of his former owners, it certainly seems to me that he's missing his old family & IMO he should definitely be offered back to his original owners, but only if they'll pay for the expenses you've incurred. I'm sorry your daughter has grown attached to Ivan, but few days of ownership doesn't equate to several years - surely the other family also experienced some distress at Ivan's loss (if not, then keep that dog!!) Many schnauzers look pretty much the same - I've owned one for 40 yrs off & on but doubt that I could positively I.D. my pooch if I drove by him on the street, being walked by someone else. Perhaps these old owners were less knowledgeable than average about how to search for their missing dog or maybe were just so busy in these harsh economic times with other matters (working, children, school, etc.) that they neglected to call the pound. Personally, I would not feel morally at ease until I had offered the dog back, contingent on my expenses being repaid, UNLESS the former home was truly abusive.

I'm sure that he, to a certain degree, are missing his old human family. It would be foolish to deny the existence of any emotional ties. However, he might have just returned to see his two old K9 companions being kept in their yard.



Well, they didn't inquire about that option and I will not volunteer that option to them now. If they had done so when he first showed up at their place I might have considered it. However, I doubt that they would willing to reimburse me for the $400+ I have spent on him.



Not sure how long they actually had Ivan. After all he was a hand-me-down from the brother-in-law when he moved to Hawaii (military) and didn't want to bring the dog with him (expensive quarantine requirements). How much distress they actually experienced when he ran off, I don't know. I only know that they weren't distressed enough to go looking for him at the local animal shelter (or even to call them).

I also know that he would be dead by now if I (or somebody else) hadn't adopted him. To me that makes a lot of difference. Their neglect sentenced him to death while I gave him a second chance on life.



The woman in the family told me that she immediate recognized him when she saw me walking him. Ivan has a very distinctive look with his color scheme and the tear duct discoloration in his face. I would also have no problem recognizing him if I saw him being walked by a stranger.. My white miniature schnauzer, Charlie, is a different story as I have seen plenty of others with a very similar appearance.



I just don't buy that argument. To me it's like excusing somebody for being "too busy" to call the police when their 7-year old child has gone missing. They should have had enough common sense and had cared enough for their dog to take five minutes out of their busy schedule to call the local animal control. It's not that difficult.

When Ivan went missing from our house (the first time) for about six hours both my wife and I spent about 2-3 hours each driving around in our cars looking for him. My wife had immediately called animal control and notified them about him being missing and I went by their shelter twice to check if they picked him up. In addition, I reported him missing on the HomeAgain website to increase the likelihood of his quick and safe return. If he hadn't been returned I would have put up posters all over the neighborhood.



I feel morally at ease now. While I have no reason to believe that they abused their dogs, I still know that I will be providing a better life for him and take care of his health and welfare far better than they ever would.

If I have learned anything about dogs since owning Bauer, it's that they are loyal. Did you know that pitbulls, even though they have an AWFUL assumption about them (they are NOT savages!), the only reason they fight is because they are so loyal that they will do whatever they can to make their owner happy? And when the owner is an ass and teaches them to fight, they fight - not because they want to, but because they want to show respect to their owner.

Schnauzers are like that. Bauer LOVES me, and my husband and my parents. Someone comes NEAR our house - and Bauer freaks out. Bauer tries his hardest to protect me at all costs - even when I'm mad at him (and by "mad" I mean I'm annoyed that he wants to go for yet another walk when all I want to do is lie on the couch and sleep). If someone else took Bauer to raise him - even if it was my parents - I am convinced he'd still be 100% loyal to ME whenever he saw me.

That being said, I am assuming that that is why your sweet Ivan keeps running back. He may not necessarily LIKE the old place, but he probably feels a loyalty to them - or even to his previous owner, the guy in the military. I wouldn't think twice about keeping him. OBVIOUSLY they have no desire to get him back (umm... if Bauer ever went missing, I'd be frantic and calling every single option I could possibly think of. Hell, if the next door neighbour's dog went missing I'd do the same! I would NEVER leave a dog I knew to wander around aimlessly without trying to find it!!).

There are so few people in this world who love animals and treat them the way they deserve to be treated. There's too much neglect, abuse, and hate towards animals. If this dog has a chance to live a life full of love and care, then I say screw what the loyalty Ivan has towards his old owners, and screw the old owners. He has one chance at life, and it sure sounds like he has a much better life with you. Mad props for taking in this dog, and for doing what you've done.

First of all you didn't steal the dog. You got him from the pound. Anyone that would spend that much on a dog right off is ok in my books. Now if these previous owners were dead serious about wanting the dog back then they should have let you know. I know if it were my dog I would hound you....pound or no pound. Enjoy your new friend, he is your new friend to keep. Just my opinion.

Yep Palpatine, agree with the last 2 posts Ivans much better off with you guys, hes probably just a dog who likes to escape, we had one just like that and shed end up at the neighbours for dinner LOL, It wasnt that shed rather live with them it was just she liked to go on a hunt and end up somewhere known before she came home, she also new there would be children to play with

Hows the feet doing