To not know what to do with this dog

[Unexpecteddogmum]

So in the past i had seen a small dog roaming around my street on his own but it never came near anyone, and people said it lived nearby. One of my neighbours said she saw it walking itself every day pretty much.

On Monday I came home to find it in my garden with my two dogs, so I posted on FB and asked all my neighbours, eventually someone walking past said they knew the owner and would send him up.

2 hours later a man knocked (the dog had been at my house all day at this point) and the little dog went straight with him and he took him home. Said he was 15yrs old and a Houdini, who escapes out of the fence all the time.

Cue me coming back from the school run yesterday morning and I find the dog in my kitchen, turns out he can fit through my cat flap! He’s a lovely little dog and absolutely no bother to us so I just left him there while I tried to find out where the owner lives.

I finally got the mans house number and knocked, I told him his dog was at my house and he said “he’s alright kick him out he’ll come home when he’s hungry, he’s done this for years sorry”. He said the dog got out in the morning but he had to go to work so he just left it and “knew he would come home eventually, he always does”.

The thing is no matter how much I put the dog out, it always comes back to my house. I dont think it went home at any point in the past couple of days. The man hasn’t come to collect his dog but I’m confused because he seemed to love and care for it, and has clearly had it a long time.

The dogs still at mine, I’ve tried walking it back to it’s house and it just comes back minutes later. I’m not putting big planks across my fence to stop it fitting through the gaps (it’s a small terrier) and if it wasn’t at mine it would be out wandering the streets anyway. Several people had seen it streets away over the main roads. However it doesn’t seem interested in wandering anymore, just loves my dogs.

It’s a lovely dog and if the man didn’t want him anymore he would be welcome here, but also I’m not feeding it or anything currently and I put him back out regularly. He never gets in my house further than the kitchen which he sneaks in and I don’t fuss him. I’m not trying to take him in any way and have always been available to the owner.

We would take him if it came to that, but on the other hand I don’t want to end up being this man’s free doggy day care

I’m not sure what on earth to do?

Poor little dog sounds lonely and it does seem that he's decided he likes your home more.

Not surprising really as your home sounds a great deal more welcoming than his own home.

We had this problem but with a cat we found sleeping in our shed and seemed to be there most of the time. We tried to find owner, but nobody came forward. So I started feeding him, even taking him to the vets as we were going on holiday so he needed vaccinations. After around 4 months he came in, as we had a cat flap and he had a new collar on with a telephone number on it. I rang the number to find the owner was about 4 doors away and she knew he was at our house, but didn’t bother to get in touch. They had small noisy children and she said she was ok with him being at our house. We basically shared him, but as he got older it was difficult as we had to carry him back to their house each night, as she was adamant she didn’t want to get him up.

Good luck with him, he obviously likes being with your dogs for company.

I think when he’s in the house he lets it wander the garden, but I assume unsupervised and he still thinks it’s in there when it’s not

But I also let my dogs roam the garden and I’d know straight away if one of mine had gone coz I’m constantly checking or they’re in/out and watching them. That’s how I know he’s been here non-stop

Photo please.

And he’s yours now.

Keep him, he wants to be yours!

I'd just knock and explain to him that it's no problem the dog being there but your not going to keep bringing him back.

Just tell him your happy to let the dog stay at yours until he collects him every day/night when he realises he's not at home.

And stress he's no bother and you've become very fond of him.

He might leave it longer and longer collecting him and you may get to keep him.

If you wanted to of course.

Are you a doctor called Martin Ellingham? Or are you a teacher called Louisa, married to said doctor?

Little Terriers are funny aren't they get an idea and thats it , it sounds like he's really happy and comfy at your house.

I'd be worried about your own dog taking off with the visitor when he goes walkabout.

We used to have a visiting siamese cat who lived with a lady down the road - we would come home and he would be sitting on the bin meowing....! We fed him and he continued to call round for about 18 months - one Saturday night we put him back outside as we usually did and he would go back home - only this night it was raining... I remember looking at him as he walked down the driveway - never saw him again after that as his owner moved away to another rented house out of the area. I prefer dogs but he was a lovely, loveable cat and we still talk about him now. Enjoy your little doggie visitor as he will give you lots of happy memories I'm sure ! x

aw, my terrier has a few best friends, one we see roughly annually and she runs so fast up to him, animal instinct!

My Mum had a cat which adopted her. It was an elderly girl cat who lived a street away (address clearly on the collar) and eventually started turning up more and more, having befriended my Mum's cat (it was rather sweet, they used to curl up and sleep next to each other).
Mum took it back to it's owner a couple of times, but it always came back (once she had only been home about 20 minutes before the cat was back). On the third time Mum took it back to it's (clearly disinterested) owner the owner stated the cat was unhappy because she had taken on two puppies which chased it all the time it was home, and she preferred the puppies and as the cat was getting 'annoying' now it was old so she was going to get it put down.

Later on that evening the cat was back at my Mums and Mum let it move in permanently. The owner must have known the cat had gone back to my Mums (and my Mum gave the owner her address / phone number) and the owner never bothered to contact her. The cat happily lived with my Mum for another few years before she sadly became unwell and had to be PTS.

Maybe you've been adopted OP?

he seems like a really nice guy

He doesn’t though. He’s got a dog that he isn’t looking after, he could get run over. He should secure his garden.

Is the dog left in the garden the whole time this man is at work?

I’d just be a bit wary as he is so old. You could very shortly have an elderly dog with lots of extra health needs and possibly no insurance.

I really really hope you get to keep him, he is obviously lonely and has found a lovely family he wants to be part of. I would do as pp have suggested say to the owner you are more than happy for him to be at yours but if he wants him to come home he has to pick him up, with any luck he won’t bother......

Mixedupworld I’m not Sorry if that was a reference I didn’t get 😂

Thank you for the ideas everyone I think I certainly need to speak to the owner again, it’s currently pitch black and stormy/pouring down outside and the little dog is asleep in my kitchen

I’ll try and get some photos if the Rottie will sit still!

He's probably been cold and lonely for ages, no wonder he's happy with you. (Might be an idea to check him for fleas, though).

I think you should just keep the dog. The guy obviously doesn't want him back or he would come and get him.

I would contact the dog warden. The dog mustn’t be allowed to roam. It is probably crapping all over the street and could even cause an accident. Dogs must legally be under control in a public place. This one isn’t.
If the dog escapes then he needs better fencing. He sounds like a completely shit dog owner.

I think you and your Rottie have been adopted

Sounds like the little dog has found his happy place. Better than being alone all day if owner is out.

As people have said let owner know he's at your s and is it Ok to feed him?

Owner might not be most conscientious in the world but the scenario has made me smile. That dog has voted with his feet!

I mean...if the owner knows he is at yours but is not fussed about having him back, I would kind of assume he's yours now. Not a lot you can do if his owner just CBA.

I believe you are now in a dog share arrangement, OP.

I am easy going so would not feed terrier to still have some boundaries, but it sounds like his regular visits will be no problem to you, otherwise.

Aw I’d probably resign to the fact I had a dog share, not helpful sorry.