Missing Dog Mistakenly Adopted by Another Family to Be Returned to Firefighter

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Imagine putting your life on the line each and every day, fighting the raging wildfires that have been rampaging in the northwest, only to come home and find your dog has been adopted by another family? That is exactly what happened to William Jones.  While he was gone on a three-week battle, he left his dog, Hunter, with friends.  Unfortunately, when Jones returned, he found out that Hunter had jumped the fence.  His immediate response was to call the Humane Society of Southwest Washington.

The good news? Hunter had been found and taken to HSSW. The bad news for Jones? Hunter had been adopted by another family, which was good news for that family, but horrible news for Jones.  The HSSW has a policy of holding animals for six days before making them available for adoption.  The clincher? Hunter was not microchipped, so there was no way to know he belonged to Jones.  As well, the adoption was legal and the new family was completely within their rights to keep the dog.  HSSW reached out to the family, explaining the situation, but initially, they refused to return the dog with whom they had already bonded. However, they had a change of heart and chose to return Hunter to the HSSW who, in turn, will keep Hunter until Jones and his girlfriend can pick up the dog.

The post below, from the Hunter the dog info page on Facebook, speaks to the complications that occurred over the incident.  People were sympathetic with Jones, but upset with HSSW for adopting out Hunter, and adoption should be a good, positive action, or mad at the family for not simply giving the dog back, a dog they had adopted into their forever home.  To his credit, Jones realized all that transpired.

The lesson here is simple. Get your pets microchipped so if they do get lost, you can be notified and reunited. A small precaution that can make all the difference in the world to you and your pet.

A message from HSSW: Here’s Hunter enjoying a little play time in our backyard Freedom Fence.
In addition to several walks a day, shelter dogs get to stretch their legs, chase a ball or run with their friends. Freedom Fence is an incredible space available to all of our dogs and Hunter is no exception.