Q: How long do we have to keep a dog after we find it that it is ours? In Colorado
My mother in law found a dog over a year ago in Colorado. She took him to the vet they said no chip, she put up poster and no one come looking for him. So she keeled him. We took him to the vet neutered and they he did have a chip. His owners are in teaxes and they want us to send him with a person they know so she can drive him up to another friend and she will pick him up from her. We don't want to do that to him.
A: In Colorado, property (dogs are considered property under the law, unfortunately) is considered abandoned after 5 years have passed. While your mother-in-law has possession of this dog, she is considered the "holder" under Colorado law. During that time, she has an obligation under the law to make reasonable efforts to find the owner of the property, in this case, the dog. It sounds like she made reasonable efforts, not knowing that the apparent owners lived in Texas. Now that she knows of the apparent owners and has made contact with them and they have expressed a desire to have the dog returned to them, she is obligated under the law to do so. However, there is room to argue that she should have ownership of the dog based on the time she has had the dog and the efforts she has put into caring for the dog. I would recommend you speak to a competent animal law attorney to determine the strengths and weaknesses in your claim.
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