Please Help Us Reunite with Our Beloved Dog, Cosmo

[Sandeep]

We are a family of four who welcomed our beautiful dog Cosmo into our lives in February 2024, when he was just 8 weeks old. As first-time pet owners, we’ve learned so much over the past 13 months, and Cosmo quickly became a cherished member of our family. He brought us so much love, joy, and laughter.

However, being new to dog ownership, we sometimes worried about leaving him home alone during school days for around 6–7 hours while the kids were at school and we were at work. Out of concern for his well-being — and with heavy hearts — my wife reached out to Victorian Dog Rescue, believing we were doing the right thing for Cosmo.

Unfortunately, that decision has brought us nothing but heartbreak and regret.

On March 21, 2025, a family came to take Cosmo, saying they had adopted him. The moment he left our home, our world fell apart. The emotional toll on our family has been overwhelming. Our daughters, aged 12 and 8, have been inconsolable, crying daily and struggling with the loss. We quickly realized that we had made a terrible mistake — a mistake born from love, not neglect.

We immediately contacted both the new family and Victorian Dog Rescue the very next day to explain our situation and to beg for a chance to bring Cosmo home. Sadly, the new family stopped responding, telling us to contact the rescue. Since then, we have sent nearly ten emails to Victorian Dog Rescue — pouring our hearts out, admitting our mistake, and pleading for a second chance — but we have received no reply.

What’s even more confusing is that we recently learned this family may only be fostering Cosmo, not his official adopters. This has left us devastated. Why was Cosmo taken from us if the adoption wasn’t even finalized?

We were transparent in our initial contact: Cosmo was not desexed (as per their policy, he should not have been accepted), and we clearly stated that we did not want him going into foster care. We feel deeply misled and ignored.

To anyone reading this — especially the team at Victorian Dog Rescue — please, we are not asking for anything unreasonable. We are ready to pay any fees involved and reimburse any expenses. The only thing we want is to bring our Cosmo back home where he belongs.

My mother is arriving from overseas soon and will be home during the day, so Cosmo will no longer be alone. The very reason we gave him up no longer exists.

We made a mistake, but we’re asking for compassion. We are a loving family who wants nothing more than to be whole again. Cosmo is not “just a dog” — he is family. Please help us reunite.

[_PL_]

I think you are confused. Sorry but you gave up your dog - circumstances have unpredictably changed and now you want him back. Surrendering is not simple. You had many chances to back out.

You gave Cosmo up and I'm assuming you signed him over. This is legal transfer of ownership whether you have regrets or not, you had a chance to not commit. 

Desexing policy, no that's referring not incoming, that's only making sure every dog is desexed before being adopted so that will have been done by now. 

Foster carers vs owners are probably 'foster to adopt'. Which is an agreement that once vetwork is done, the foster carers can adopt. 

Edited Friday at 02:27 AM by _PL_

[Dogsfevr]

When you decide you want the dog gone today they either go into kennels or too a foster where they will be assessed for home suitability thats just common sense .
Desexing will be for the sale not the taking in .

Im sorry but your supposed reason for rehome doesnt make any sense at all.
If the dog was happy & brought you much joy & laugher then suddenly deciding being home alone for that time period was wrong to lets get rid off the dog doesnt marry up .

Who did you speak too about these concerns before even thinking this was the right choice ??Its unfortunate even for the dog that alot more thought didnt go into it after all the dog didnt sign up for this either & at the end of the day the dog will be the one feeling the biggest confusion & i think  im all your wording its all about the humans but very little about we screwed up bigtime & have let our dog down even more .
You could have placed the dog in boarding kennels for a week & seen what life was like without the dog & made the serious choice 
 

You have legally surrendered your dog with concerns you couldnt provide it with a fulfilling life .
Rescue orgs arent about offering second chances when people decide dont want it anymore they deal with all sorts of sob stories & crap as it is plus the dog .

Reading there form i gather you paid the $150 surrender fee & the form was very clear about foster,kennels or can you keep it until a foster is available or work with them.
 

Edited yesterday at 04:06 AM by Dogsfevr

[persephone]

On 10/04/2025 at 11:01 PM, Sandeep said:

My mother is arriving from overseas soon and will be home during the day,

I dare say this has been planned for some time - so you knew Cosmo's time home alone would end soon - and yet you still surrendered him ? I don't understand. 

[fletchersmum]

Rescue groups are usually volunteers, giving up their time to rehome pets. Sounds like they put a lot of work into this for you to find a home for Cosmo. You had him for 13 months, until you decided you didn't want him any more. Why didn't you get him desexed in that time? I am sure he is desexed by now as that would have been part of the adoption process.

 

Pets are not objects to be handed around to the next person. I suggest you should have put a lot more thought into whether you wanted to rehome him before asking for a rescue group to assist you. The new family doesn't need you harrassing them about you wanting their pet. I am sure this didn't happen suddenly so that you had no time to think about it. 

 

Better for you if you move on. You rehomed him thinking you were doing the right thing by him. You did. I am sure Cosmo is now perfectly happy with his new family who I am sure loves him very much. Hopefully they've groomed him so that he can see, looks like he badly needs a groom in some of those photos of him!

 

I am sorry, but I don't buy the "he was a cherished member of our family" and we now miss him. You should have thought about that while you had the cherished member of your family with you. 

[Little Gifts]

I am   sorry you have been through this experience. But I am even  more sorry Cosmo has because he is the one who doesn't understand what has happened. While it is true that dogs are legally 'property' that we can do with what we want, their needs are much more complex than any other property we own. You have now had the experience of owning  and  losing a pet. It hurts but he has been gone for weeks now and to be honest what has truly changed at your house since he has been gone besides your feelings? You can't hedge all your bets on your  mother in law that her simply being there will fix any problems he had. You surrendered him  for a reason that still exists. I feel that is something you just have to accept now.

 

If you choose to get a  pet again then you now have more knowledge to choose the right  breed for your home or to have other strategies in place to give it the attention and care it needs if you are all living busy lives (dog walkers and doggy day care also exists for this reason). Don't choose a dog based on looks and cuteness. It has to fit in with your expectations and lifestyle  or you will  have Cosmo 2.0.

 

In  relation to the rescue - rescues deal with surrenders day in and day out for a myriad of reasons.  Some are very sad and some are total BS. I only know of one  person who  surrendered out of desperation one day (her dog had difficult behaviours) and she changed her mind the next day. After much discussion and consideration her dog was returned and remained with her into old age. She actually became my friend and once she had the support for the breed she needed, her commitment to her doggo was strong. It was a unique and genuine situation at the time. But you are relying on yet another person coming into your house to 'fix things'. You and your family are not planning to do anything differently for a dog you supposedly love. Can you see how that doesn't look like a solution  for Cosmo? The rescue cares only about him at this point because he has already been let down by his owners and they are trying to pick up the pieces.

 

A hard lesson learned by you of course but I feel you need to let him get on with his life now. He's been through enough change. If you purchase or adopt in the future please do so with more consideration of how that specific dog blends with your household so that all your collective needs will be met. Plenty of working people have pets remember - it's what you do to meet their needs when noone is home that is as important as the love you shower upon them when you are all together. Please take some  time to accept how you got into this situation and learn from it. Cosmo is on his own new journey now.