Question

I adopted my dog in August 2019. I tried to get him fixed but because of Covid, the appointment was canceled. I since then decided to mate him with a friend's dog. Can they take the dog away if I signed a document that I had to neuter him?

Answer

Rights and responsibilities of shelters/rescues and adopters are generally contained in an adoption agreement. Many of these agreements require adopters to have the adopted animal spayed or neutered (although these days, many shelters spay/neuter before releasing an animal to the adopter). Shelters/rescues could sue for breach of contract and seek the return of the animal. The court will consider the terms of the agreement to determine rights and remedies. In any event, breeding exacerbates an already serious overpopulation of dogs and cats. Don’t contribute to the problem. So many wonderful animals are at shelters/rescues waiting to be adopted.

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