To think only a monster would claim a reward for returning a missing pet

[OptimismvsRealism]

Surely any decent human would refuse unless absolutely desperate for food or something

I once looked after an injured pet, blood all over my house and lots of stress finding the owner and being in for the owner to collect. He gave me a fiver and left with the pet and it took ages to clean all the blood that had been splattered in random places.

I agree. If I found someone's pet I would absolutely insist they didn't give me the reward.

@OptimismvsRealism - looking at it from the other side, why would it be OK to offer a reward for the safe return of a pet, and then refuse to honour that promise?

And, as a pet owner, if one of my beloved pets was missing, and I offered a reward, and someone brought them back, I would be beyond grateful, and would want them to have the reward I had promised. This even applies to CatBastard, who bites me if I stroke him too much or not enough, or if I try to gently disentangle his claws from my clothes, and who thinks we are incompetent staff.

If you kept finding the same dog straying do you think that would influence your decision?

Depends, you may have the pet and it could be miles from it’s home and you might incur costs returning it, if the pet perhaps messed in your car through fright again you may want a valet.

I would just want my pet back, I’d throw the
money at them. I wouldn’t accept a cash reward- a bottle of wine wouldn’t go amiss lol.

Who has taken money and in what circumstances? I wouldn’t call someone a monster for accepting a reward.

If I happened to find someone's pet and was able to return it without incurring much cost, I wouldn't accept the reward, but if I were the one who'd lost a pet and offered a reward for its return, I wouldn't think less of the person who found my pet if they took the money. That's the purpose of the reward, to get my pet back, and I'd just be thrilled we'd had a happy ending.

I would turn down a reward (short of a small token, bottle of wine etc) but certainly wouldn't judge anyone who did accept one negatively.

Your "monster" threshold is indeed strange OP, it really is.

Last year I gave a teenager a tenner for finding DDs phone and reuniting her with it. Was she monstrous for accepting it? We were very grateful

But what if they were skint. I've been skint, it's not a happy place. Why couldn't I in my skint days accept the reward?

Right now, I'm ok,so I would give it to a local dog shelter, but it should be my choice.

How would the scam work?

Based on your logic, you'd do it for free though.

I on the other hand also wouldn't lift a Komodo dragon but I'd want more than £500 if I was to!

If you find something of great value and return it to its owner, most people insist on giving a reward so it’s not really “claiming”. People don’t have to go out of their way to return lost animals but their act of kindness is huge to the owners so they deserve to be rewarded.

If the finder doesn’t want to keep it, they can give it to a charity of their choice.

When our cat went missing we were advised by the vet not to mention a reward at all on our posters- genuine people will contact you anyway. The reward just attracts nuts telling you they saw a cat in the street the other day and asking for the money. You can still give a reward, just don’t say so upfront. So sort of the opposite of OP’s scenario but the same point.

Personally I wouldn't dream of taking a reward (unless it was a super posh celebrity dog and the reward was in the thousands, in which case I might change my mind!). If the owner insisted on it, I'd tell them to give it to our local cat/dog rescue place instead, or buy their pet a new bed/collar/lead to reward them for being home.

That's me though. If I'd offered a reward and someone accepted it when they brought my pet back I definitely wouldn't think of them as a monster!

As PP have said, the true monsters are the ones that use them for bait in fights or steal them on the off chance of getting a reward for bringing them back.

Rewards are typically offered to cover the lowlife scum that may have found the dog/stolen it deliberately and are intent on using it for breeding/selling on/baiting etc as it gives them the incentive to do the right thing where they wouldn’t otherwise

The fact that the reward is then available for the decent person who would have acted kindly anyway is irrelevant- that’s not the issue it’s designed to fix

This has reminded me of when my neighbour lost their tortoise. They offered a £30 reward (or similar)

DS aged about 10 spent ages looking all around the neighbourhood, backs of gardens etc, and he found it!

Neighbour gave him the reward and he bought two guinea pigs with it!!!

I really don’t think he’s a monster OP, but you crack on eh?

I found someone's cat in my shed once and returned him They gave me a bottle of wine as a thank you and I accepted. Does that make me a monster in your eyes?

If someone found my pet and I'd offered a reward, I'd be so happy to have the pet back that I'd insist they took it. At the very least, I'd want to cover their expenses and, if they really didn't want the reward for themselves, I'd ask if they'd take it to donate to their favourite charity or allow me to do so.

Why are people whanging on about Komodo dragons? They weigh as much as a man and are potentially deadly. If you find one roaming free in the UK (you won’t!) run away and call emergency services; do not attempt to “rescue” it, for any amount of money!

So… what’s the backstory with the person who has accepted the reward money?

I don’t think you should have to offer a reward to get a lost pet returned. I think the reward is an incentive directed at someone that may have stolen the pet, to sell on or for something more nefarious, so in that way I agree they are monsters.

Although if someone has seen the advert and found the pet, then you should offer what was stated and maybe the person should only accept a small amount.

Would you accept a reward if you found a billionaire's cat? 🙄

I reunited a much loved pet with their owner.

He kept sending me flowers, chocolates and champagne.

I had no control over this but eventually he stopped.

I wasn't expecting any reward but it was rather nice.