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Not long ago, we told you about River, the dog who last month was saved from certain death after he was left caged in rising water.

At the outset, his rescuer, Jennifer Vaz, planned to adopt him, but after her other dog, Molly, had difficulties adjusting to life with a new little brother, she decided to return him to the Monmouth County SPCA.

“After consulting with my family, the SPCA and my vet for the best interest of Molly’s health it would be better if River was fostered by someone else,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “As a (dog) mother, dropping River off was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do. Even though I’ve never been a parent it feels like I’m losing a child.”

Vaz discovered River while on a morning walk in the park with Molly; the dog alerted her to something odd in the water. There she found River, a pit bull pup believed to be about 7 months old, trapped inside a wire crate. The rising tide was encroaching.

She contacted animal control and River was rescued with little time to spare.

Vaz was fostering River as the investigation into who had left him to die was underway, and had intent to adopt him.

She dropped him off at the shelter this past weekend, with a bed, toys, food and treats that had been donated. Additionally, more than $1,000 raised in a GoFundMe campaign will be given to his new forever family to assist in his care.

“We’re looking for a foster to adopt, for someone who’s going to keep him forever,” Ross Licitra, the chief and executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA, told NJ.com.

River must be fostered first as he is the subject of an ongoing criminal case. Once that case is closed, the foster family could adopt him officially.

Licitra said he believes River’s boisterous, young-male personality (he is not yet neutered) may have been too aggressive for the setting, leading Molly to become withdrawn. The shelter plans the neuter him and conduct a behavior assessment to see what kind of home he might take to best.

In the meantime, the list of names interested in taking River home continues to grow, he said. Other interested adopters can apply with the shelter.

The man accused of dumping River, Aaron D. Davis, 36, of Long Branch, was arrested earlier this month.

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Last week we told you about a lovely Lab mix (now named Hope!) that surveillance video captured as she was dumped by the side of the road in a suburb of Springfield, MO.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office posted to their Facebook page that the woman believed responsible was arrested on July 13.

The video showed a woman letting her dog out of her car, shutting the door and speeding away. One posted by the camera’s owner, it quickly went viral.

She was arrested for animal neglect and abandonment, a class C misdemeanor.

The dog had severe burns on her paws after running on the hot pavement until she was found.

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Reid Thompson and his girlfriend were out on a hike with their dog, Finn, in Kenora, Ontario, when they made the dubious decision to let the pup off leash. Instead of heeling, their “bad boy” took off once he caught an interesting scent, Thompson told Fox News.

Ignoring the pleas of his owners, Finn split the scene. A half-hour later, Thompson got the call no “parent” wants to get. It was from the Ontario Provincial Police. Finn, it seemed, had gotten himself into trouble.

“I was informed that Finn had been causing some chaos as he chased a deer along the road, through the hospital grounds and back onto the road. They tangled for a bit, up and over a guard rail and down onto the ice … eventually the deer got away and Finn gave up the chase,” Thompson said.

Police told Thompson Finn had been “detained” and when he showed to collect the dog, they gave him a lecture on leashing your pet. Meanwhile, Thompson’s daughter, Emme, clicked a pic of their pup looking guilty behind bars in the back of the cruiser and tweeted it to the world.

The tweet has since gone viral, receiving over 630,00 likes and 185,000 retweets as of this writing.

The response threads have been hilarious!

“Not a bark or a ruff. Fifth Amendment all the way and lawyer up,” @GaryBoncella wrote.

“I’m sure you could get a lawyer to handle this pro-bone-o,” said @kimberly_salz.

“After a tip-off from an anonymous collar, they caught the pup-itrator, gave him a pat down, made sure he didn’t flea and sent him to the dog house,” wrote a ridiculously “punny” @JoshuaBowman.

We have to admit, this bad boy is pretty cute! Photo: Reid Thompson

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Thompson added that despite the “arrest,” Finn seemed “pretty proud of himself,” but wasn’t thrilled about the post-incident scrub down.

“He didn’t like the bath he got afterwards … the baby powder spritz spray didn’t match his new bad-boy image he is trying to cultivate,” Thompson said.

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A stolen dog is back with his joyful owner in the city of Tukwila, WA, after an alert, rookie cop spotted both dog and suspect out on a walk.

Back on March 13, the dog’s owner called police after her dog was stolen from outside a restaurant. She said the male suspect walked past her dog twice, then grabbed, unleashed and ran off with it on the third pass-by. While the suspect remained at large, police said she gave a very good description and provided them with photos of her dog.

Days later, Officer Schneider, the handling officer for the original call (who the Tukwila Blog described as “fresh out of the academy”) saw the suspect — who appeared to be wearing almost exactly what he had on the day he took the dog — walking a dog that looked like the victim’s.

“With assistance from Officer Hernandez and Officer Kolstad,” the blog reported, “Officer Schneider contacted the suspect who couldn’t keep his lies straight. It quickly became obvious to everyone that this was the right suspect and dog.”

Animal control was called to the scene to check the dog’s microchip, which verified that the dog belonged to the victim. She was called to the scene and ID’d both her dog and the suspect, who was later booked for theft.

Great job, Officer Schneider!!!

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An investigation is underway after police discovered an active dog-fighting operation in South Philadelphia, FOX 29 reported.

Upon arrival, cops had to break up a dog fight in progress. Police recovered a wooden fighting ring, spattered with blood, along with two firearms and a large amount of cash. Fourteen individuals were arrested and the two dogs, described as “pit bull-type dogs” were immediately taken in by the Pennsylvania Society for the Protection of Animals’s shelter hospital on Erie Avenue to begin the recovery process.

Both dogs were reported to be stable condition and will remain with the PSPCA until they are signed over by their owners or the adjudication of the court case. Activity related to dog-fighting is a felony.

Later this past weekend, as police executed a vehicle search warrant related to the case, officer discovered two additional dogs, one wearing a weighted collar and another which appeared ill, and immediately took them into custody, as well. Both underwent medical assessment and treatment at the shelter.

“Cases like this remind us that while we may not always hear about it, dog fighting is still happening in the city of Philadelphia,” said Nicole Wilson, Director of the Humane Law Enforcement at the PSPCA. “Our team has boots on the ground 365 days a year, investigating cases like this, and working to bring those involved to justice.”

Anyone with information about this case should call the PSPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA. Tips can be left anonymously.