My friends found a neglected dog, and now the owner is looking for him, what are the legalities? What they can do to keep the dog safe?

My friends found a dog abandoned in a park, with his bed and his stuff next to him. The dog had the nails that were so long that he couldn't even walk, the fur completely matted, stinky, and in need of thousands of dollars in dental work. The pup is unable to eat any solid food, his teeth are a disaster, and must hurt like hell. This morning they brought the dog to the vet for a check up, planning for bloodwork, getting him up to date with vaccines, and to plan for dental surgery. The vet agreed that the dog was in clear state of neglect, probably not being groomed in the last 5 years. The microchip scan did reveal the previous owner, the vet tried to reach, but no luck. Now, my friends do care for this dog, and their mindset was to keep the pup and make him healthy and happy. Clearly the previous owner did not know what caring for a dog means. Today I saw a post on a local Facebook group, of the original owner looking for this dog (even tho they say they 'lost him' last night, when in reality the dog was found early that day). What can my friends do? What are the legalities (we are in Ontario)? They want to keep the dog and give him a better life with somebody that will give him a better life. Thank you for any advice

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