Given a dog to keep, now they want him back.

Question

My sons friend asked me to keep his dog and he pays for his medical care since he was 6 weeks old but the dog has been in my care for two years and now he wants him back. What can I do to keep him?

Answer

As the expression goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Accepting money for medical care implies that there was a pet-sitting arrangement, not that the dog was gifted or sold. Pet-sitters do not usually own the animals they agree to watch. Sometimes people who are not very bonded with their animal will agree to sell the animal, if the price is right for them (which in this instance may at least include the amount paid for the dog and the bills for medical expenses). People who believe that their animal is being wrongfully withheld may sue to try to get the animal returned. The court will consider the evidence presented, including, for example, the agreed upon arrangement, under whose name an animal is registered, who has paid for the animal’s needs, who has been the animal’s caretaker, whether the animal was gifted, sold, or abandoned, etc. Some courts have also considered the best interests of the animal. People who believe that their animal is being wrongfully withheld may also contact the police although the police do not usually intervene in pet custody disputes. I hope that you and your son’s friend can work out a custody/visitation arrangement that is in the best interests of this dog.