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Say someone finds a stray dog in Florida, USA, and some research indicates that the dog's registration and vaccination have both expired. In this case, is it better to return the dog to the owner or to an animal shelter? The owner is unaware that the dog is with the finder at this moment.
I am not exactly sure if I should ask this question here or at Law stack exchange, since this question is both about a pet and about the law.
Always try and contact the owner first. If an animal has an owner that is the best place for them (excluding obvious cases of neglect and abuse). A shelter is for homeless animals and there's problems in most places with not enough homes for pets. The pets miss their owners and vice versa. So a reunion is the best thing all round.
The expired registration and vaccination is irrelevant in deciding whether or not to return an animal to their owner, unless it means the animal has been abandoned or it makes tracing the owner difficult.
If the dog has an owner, technically it is not a stray, it is lost.
