DEAR ABBY: A friend of mine, "Gladys," was looking for a home for an old dog. "Breezy" was 12, and his owner had died. Gladys was fostering Breezy until a new home could be found. I told her I'd take him if she couldn't find another good home. She ended up finding one.
Breezy was living with his new owners for about a month when they called to tell Gladys the dog "wasn't feeling well." When she went to check on it, she decided the placement wasn't working out and asked if I would take him. I agreed and told her I would give him a good home.
A couple days later, Gladys called saying the previous owners had taken Breezy to a veterinarian and expected her to pay the vet bill because she had taken the dog back. Now she's expecting me to reimburse her for the $319 vet bill because I have him! I don't think I should be responsible for the bill but offered to pay half. Gladys doesn't agree, and it has turned into a huge fight between friends. Am I responsible for that bill? Please help. -- DOG LOVER
DEAR DOG LOVER: No, you are not responsible. You did your friend a favor by agreeing to take the dog off her hands. The folks who adopted Breezy should be paying the vet bill because they are the ones who incurred it. Further, it was very generous of you to offer to pay half so your "friend" wouldn't be stuck paying the whole thing.
You adopted an old dog. It's likely that there will be more veterinary expenses in the future. I hope you have pet insurance because you may need it.