Question
My boyfriend's ex was watching his dog. A disagreement broke out about the dog, and she has rehomed the dog and won't tell us where it is. This dog was supposed to come to the Yukon and is currently in Ontario. We asked many times for the dog back, and she informed us it's gone. What can we do? Do we have legal rights in this matter?
Answer
It is difficult to predict how a court will decide a pet custody case as they are considered on a case by case basis. People who agree to pet-sit do not typically gain ownership rights to the animals they agreed to temporarily foster. However, verbal agreements without corroborating evidence can be difficult to enforce since disputing parties often recount different versions of their agreement. For example, the ex in the situation you describe may say that the dog was gifted to her and so she had the right to rehome her dog. People who believe that their animal is being wrongfully withheld can sue to try to get the animal returned. These cases get much more complicated after an animal is rehomed.
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