08:35 AM CDT on Monday, July 10, 2006

Associated Press

DOYLESTOWN, PA -- A Doylestown family that adopted a dog found in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is returning him to the New Orleans family that lost him.

Lynne Welsh took in the now 2-year-old dog from a suburban Philadelphia shelter last November.

It had belonged to Sheila Combs, who lost virtually everything she owned in the hurricane. Combs had wanted her 10-year-old son's chow-Finnish spitz mix, named Rocket, returned home.

Welsh initially said she would battle in court to keep the dog she renamed Rusty, but changed her mind after speaking to an assistant of Cesar Millan, of the cable television show "Dog Whisperer."

"What the Dog Whisperer said is that unless (the animal) is beaten or abused, it's better to (send it back)," Welsh said. "My hope is that other families who have adopted pets (from hurricane-ravaged areas) give them back."

Combs confirmed that arrangements were being made to return the dog.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)