Pet Legal Q&A

Elinor D. Molbegott, is an attorney who maintains a law practice devoted to animal law. Elinor donates her time to answer questions from North Shore Animal League America supporters who would like to learn more about animal law.

The original owner wants her dog back.

My daughter's friend gave us a puppy that she couldn’t have at her residence, and now my daughter's friend is claiming she wants the puppy back after she gave it away. She’s holding on to the tags for the puppy and pills for him, as a means of leverage to get the puppy back. After giving him away to us, do they still have rights to the puppy, or have they relinquished their rights?

By |2019-07-01T12:52:37-04:00July 1st, 2019|

My missing dog was found 3 years later in a new home.

I had a husky puppy from birth (I owned his mother), but he suddenly went "missing". Though the husky breed are known to wonder, he hardly ever left my yard or was ever left unattended outside or in a kennel. I have pictures and vet bills and Facebook posts about the missing dog. Now, a man 5 minutes down the road from me posted him on Facebook. I know it's been 3 years but this was my dog. I tried to speak to him about it and he blocked me. Can I get my dog back after 3 years? I understand he's in a decent home but he holds a special place in my heart.

By |2019-07-01T12:22:31-04:00July 1st, 2019|

I can’t afford my puppy’s bills. What do I do?

We purchased a German Shepard from a Pet Store and had all the papers and the Breeder's information. When we brought her home she had diarrhea. I called the pet store and they said it was the change in food or just a sensitivity to the change in her environment. We ending up rushing her to a vet when she started vomiting. We had only had her for 3 days. They checked her for all kinds of things and put her on a special diet. She straightened out in a couple of days and then it started again after a month, so she has had bouts of diarrhea on and off. We've now been to 2 different vets. She has all her shots. Before her lyme shot she was a healthy and 60 lbs. She started the next day with diarrhea, and in two weeks was down to 50 lbs. We of course went to a third vet to get a second opinion. They found that she has a pancreas problem and can't digest her food. From start to finish with the vets, we have spent over $3,000 in vets, tests, food, and the most recent vet bill was $625. We are a retired couple on a fixed income. I called the Pet Store and the Breeder. The breeder offered to give us a replacement. We don't want a replacement. We want our dog. She will be okay as long as she stays on special food and meds at the price of $650 a month. I called the Pet store to see if they could do something. We ran out of money and had to return her to the Pet store and are trying to work out a solution with assistance with the meds and food. Isn't there a law that prohibits this kind of stuff? What can I do?

By |2019-06-18T13:57:51-04:00June 18th, 2019|

Can I take a ferret to the vet?

I am watching my friend's ferret. Right from the start, the 6-month-old ferret was very lethargic. I did my research and I found out that I should take the ferret to the vet ASAP, but her ferret has never been to the vet before. I'm worried that the ferret might not make it.

By |2019-06-18T13:38:55-04:00June 18th, 2019|

The owner of an abandoned dog wants her back.

Saturday morning I saw a post on Facebook asking if anyone could take in an abandoned dog. The story I got was that the family left the dog over a year ago and the neighbor had been feeding her and taking care of her as best as he could do, but he could no longer do it. My husband and I decided to take her in. When we arrived, she had flies and fleas all over her. We gave her a bath and took her to the vet. She has sores all over her and both her ears are severely infected. We got medicine and treatment and spent $200. She obviously wasn't being taken care of. Now the owner wants her back. The dog is happy and adjusting well with us and our other dogs. Is there anything we can do to keep her?

By |2019-06-18T13:33:27-04:00June 18th, 2019|

My neighbors don’t take care of their dog.

My neighbors have a dog named Whitey. They do not care for him, and he stays at our house 24/7. He never goes home, and they never come to get him nor call him home. Could I take him to a vet to get a rabies shot so he is legally mine?

By |2019-06-18T13:25:38-04:00June 18th, 2019|
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