a man left his dog with us it was supposed to be 2 weeks. the dog was sick and 30 pounds under weight. now 17 months later he wants the dog ...

Question

a man left his dog with us it was supposed to be 2 weeks. the dog was sick and 30 pounds under weight. now 17 months later he wants the dog back. do we legally have to give the dog back. we have thousands of dollars in the dog.

Answer

Yes, (in my opinion) unless he gifted the hapless animal to you.

You should, however, be entitled to reimbursement for your

reasonable costs expended in providing this animal with food, shelter,

and medical care during the time period that it was in your possession.

I would further note, however, that these reasonable costs are unlikely

to amount to the "thousands of dollars" referenced in your question.