u/DefiantPuffinBreaker

I (31F) adopted my dog, Milo, from a local rescue ten months ago. He was listed as an owner surrender. The only background I was given was that his owner had lost housing and could not keep him in temporary accommodation.

When I brought Milo home, he was underweight, had a bad ear infection, and panicked whenever I picked up my keys. For the first month, he slept pressed against my front door. I spent a lot on vet care and worked with a trainer on his separation anxiety. He is now healthy, goofy, and attached to me. I love him more than I can explain.

Last week, the rescue forwarded me a message from a woman named Erin. She had seen Milo in one of their adoption update posts and recognized him immediately. She included puppy photos, vet records, and a copy of the surrender paperwork.

Erin said she had been evicted after losing her job. She spent several weeks sleeping in her car, then got a bed in a women's shelter that did not allow pets. She said she surrendered Milo because he was getting sick in the car and she could not keep pretending he was safe with her. She now has a job and a small apartment that allows dogs. She was not demanding him back, but asked whether I would consider it.

I agreed to one meeting in a park because I thought it might give her closure.

The moment Milo saw her, he pulled so hard I nearly dropped the leash. He made a sound I have never heard from him before and climbed into her lap. Erin started crying and kept apologizing to him. She showed me that he still responds to the hand signals she taught him as a puppy. When it was time to leave, Milo kept twisting around to look at her car.

That night, he sat by my front door instead of sleeping in my room.

Erin offered to repay his medical bills over time, but that is not what this is about. I have a stable home and I legally adopted him. The rescue told me the adoption is final and advised me not to return a dog based on one emotional meeting. My mother agrees. She says Milo needs stability, and that I would be uprooting him again because I feel guilty about something I did not cause.

My brother thinks the opposite. He said Erin did not dump Milo when he became inconvenient. She gave him up because she had nowhere safe for either of them, and keeping him now feels like punishing her for being homeless.

I keep looking at Milo and thinking that the worst moment of Erin's life became the best thing that ever happened to me. I also know dogs can be happy to see someone from their past and still be better off where they are now.

I have not told Erin my decision yet. WIBTA if I gave Milo back to her?