Q: Stray dog in Colorado, how long before I can legally keep if I have reported to shelters and tried to find owners?
I found a skinny, matted stray dog in Colorado. Reported it to every local shelter, posted on Facebook and NextDoor, but no one has claimed her. Can I claim her as mine legally? Is there a period of time I need to wait? I'm not a licensed rescue.
A: Since dogs are considered property in Colorado and there is no specific "abandoned dog" statute, we have to look at the statute for abandoned property. The statute of limitations to legally claim abandoned or lost property in CO is 5 years. Obviously that is a long time in the life of a dog! But, there is no other guideline. You could take the dog to a shelter and under the law the shelter can sever ownership of anyone after 5 days and then adopt the dog out, or dispose of it anyway the shelter sees fit. However, of course, you run the risk that you will not be the first in line to adopt this specific dog, or that the shelter may choose another course of action with the dog. So, really, you are doing everything you can with respect to the dog and trying to return it to its owner. You could ask local shelters if you can hang up flyers in there, or if anyone has reported a missing dog. Keep records of all of these conversations because if the true owner shows up in the next 5 years, you will have a good argument of why you should be allowed to keep the dog and not this careless owner. Good luck!
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