East Orange, NJ asked in Animal / Dog Law for New Jersey

Q: Can a dog's original owner try to reclaim a dog I adopted legally from a shelter?

I adopted a dog from a NJ animal shelter in 2012. The dog had been picked up by the shelter as a stray. I recently ran into someone claiming to be the dog's original owner. He said the dog had been left unattended and off leash and was stolen from his property 3 years ago. The dog must then have been dumped and was subsequently picked up by animal control. The police department hadn't done anything to help him find the dog at the time and he never called local shelters himself to try to find the dog. The dog had no ID or license and the shelter I adopted it from held it for the correct number of days before offering it for adoption.

Given the dates and details, I believe this person was the dog's original owner. I feel terrible for this person because his dog was taken by someone, but I've had this dog for almost 4 years at this point and I don't want to think about the possibility of losing him. Can they legally get the dog back?

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Unless the former owner actually retains an attorney and files a complaint against you and/or the shelter, I don't think you willhave anything to worry about. Good luck.

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