The local TV station had a story about a couple who agreed to foster a dog found wandering in the New Orleans area of Hurricane Katrina.  The owner wanted the dog back, but the foster family didn't want to give him up, saying the owner didn't claim her dog in a timely manner, so the case ended up in court.  The judge found in favor of the original owner, and now the dog is heading back to his original owner.

I've provided foster homes to many needy dogs when I was rescue chairman for a local dog club, so I know how difficult it can be to see an animal that one has spent so much emotional effort on leave the house.  I understand the torment of the foster family, but I was elated to hear the judge found in favor of the original owner.

As the story developed, it turned out the foster family had signed an agreement that they would foster the dog until a certain date.  The original owner contacted the foster family ten days after the deadline, and the foster family felt they were being fair to invite the owner to their home to see if she and her dog still had chemistry.  The unspoken part of this "deal" was that if the foster family DIDN'T feel there was still a bond that they would keep the dog.  Apparantly, the foster family felt they could provide a better life for the dog.

To me, this is NOT the spirit of rescue.  The original owner has a very good reason for not contacting them sooner; she most likely had much to deal with in the aftermath of the hurricane.  To ask a person who has lost so much in a disaster of this magnitude to pay for transportation to see if they are worthy of claiming a pet they lost track of in the aftermath is in my mind incredibly unreasonable.  Perhaps in a purely bureaucratic light the foster family had the right to feel the dog was theirs after their contract to foster had ended.  Although the details of the case weren't covered in the news story, it was heartening to hear that a judge realized that the original owner, who has been fighting for the return of her beloved dog for so long, realized that her love of the dog was every bit as strong as the foster family, and that the dog belonged to his rightful owner.

I wish the best to this lady and her dog, and that they can make up for the time lost in this senseless custody battle.