I feel a little weird about this whole thing....so here goes: October of 2011 I adopted my schnauzer....his previous owner stated he worked very long hours and did not have time to give to the dog, and he wanted to rehome him instead of taking him to the shelter. Lucky for me...I adopted this little 2 cutie. He was 2 at the time and his owner had him since he was a puppy. He said at the time that he'd like to be able to visit him from time to time and I said sure no problem. It was instant love for me. Now here it is to the present and he's now 4. I don't hear from him all this time...until the other day...he sends me an email asking how the dog is doing and that he would like to visit. I said that was fine. I even forwarded him a current picture of MY dog. :)
My question is....is that strange? That he wants to visit the dog now after all this time? My paranoia sets in and thoughts of him trying to take the dog back races thru my head. lol Have you any you ever gone thru this? Should I go thru with it or should I tell him its not a good idea for the dog ( or for me ) but I don't want him to feel bad that he can't just visit him. What should I do?
Yes , the day after I adopted my dog I took him to my vet to have him checked out healthwise so if there were issues I wanted to deal with it then and there and also to register in my name. Everything was fine with him. I adopted a great dog.
I think its been way too long but I felt maybe it was just me feeling that way, but it appears you ladies agree. Thank you.:) I won't have him come to our home. If I do go thru with it, it will be in a neutral place with other people with me. I just think its bizzare of him to contact me after all this time. Yes sure in the beginning I said he would be able to visit, but I was thinking withing a few months to see how the dog's doing....not after 2 years, whats that about?ugh
I think this is very weird. Had it been a month or two, ok. But two years? He should be more than satisfied with a photo and knowledge that the dog is doing well.
Personally, I would back out of this meeting.
There is no way to know what the man is thinking? If you decide to go through with it & let him visit, I say meet him at a local park so he doesn't know your home address!
Maybe he lost your email address, just found it and had some fond memories of the dog. Maybe that's why he reached out to you. I would meet him at a neutral location like a park where the public would be gathering. I would also bring along a friend (preferably a male) when you go to meet him so you won't be by yourself. I would make sure that I had a name tag on the dog with your name on it. He was responsible enough to find a new home for a dog that he could not properly care for.
It is strange and the dog most likely will not recognize him. I wouldn't be interested in having him come over.
I would have either just completely not responded, or just respectfully declined.
I think it's strange, and actually quite dangerous.
I'm actually sorry to hear that you even replied to the e-mail and sent that picture. You cannot even be sure that the person who e-mailed you is actually this former owner -- it could be anyone who knows the situation and got hold of your e-mail address; he could have told someone else about it. Even if it is him, and that's likelier, it is still odd. Even the most loving former owner should have realized that contacting a total stranger like this sends up red flags, no matter how innocent the contact might actually be. I also find it interesting that you first think of "thoughts of him trying to take the dog back" rather than thoughts for your own safety. I would not contact him again but if he contacts you first, I would tell him politely, as someone else wisely said, that your vet says it's not a good idea and would confuse the dog and possibly upset the dog as well, and that you're sorry you said at first that he could see the dog because now you understand from the vet that it is not advisable. Then do NOT respond to any further e-mails from this person.
It may indeed all be just nostalgia for a lost, loved dog, but this person seems to lack the "social radar" that tells most of us that this out-of-the-blue contact is disconcerting.
I would let him visit, just meet him at the dog park rather then your home.
After two years of non-communication?
yeah. I would be a tad "freaked". I would NOT give him my home address.
I would tell him, sorry. It's been too long and I don't think it's wise or healthy for Cutie to see you again. talk to your vet. We have a vet on the site, hopefully, she'll answer.
Personally - forwarding him a picture should suffice. if the adoption was done legitimately - you have had him regularly checked out by a vet and licensed - then i would say. Sorry!! Changed my mind!!
Good luck!
Whether you do or not for your own self & safety is your call.
Regarding the dog however, it is best to NOT meet & let him see the dog. It has been 2 years & the dog is now adjusted to it's new life. Having him reappear will confuse your dog, and could elicit behavior issues for a period of time afterwards.
You can even use this as an "out" for arranging a visit - say you talked with your vet & trainer & they advised against it for the mental well-being of the dog.
T.
(as a breeder, I am also involved in Rhodesian Ridgeback rescue from time to time & this is advice I got from rescue coordinators)
i think it's sweet that his previous owner was smart enough to re-home him, that your schnauzer was lucky enough to find you, and that his owner wants to visit him. i LOVED being able to visit a beloved cat that i had to re-home.
don't understand the paranoia, really. just meet him in a park. it's so unlikely that he's going to snatch the dog he already gave up and run with him. really, it's more likely that a stranger would do that. you're in more jeopardy every time you take your dog for a walk.
do a nice thing for this nice person.
khairete
S.
I can see both sides...
When I was a teenager and my moms dogs had puppies, we had to put most of those puppies up for sale ($20 to cover shots... Not much at all). My sisters friend ended up buying one of the puppies and so did the owner of the local greenhouse. Still today, if I happen to drive my sister over to that friends house or if I have to stop at the greenhouse I always say hi to those "puppies".
Still, coming to your house JUST to visit with the dog after 2 years of no contact IS a bit weird.
Go with what your gut says
Imagine if you had to lose a pet and then found where it was. Curiosity would want one to know if the pet still remembered them.
