Custody

I am a foster for a rescue that adopted out a bonded pair of 6-month-old kittens nine months ago. In October, the adopters claimed they had not bonded with one of them and asked to return him. I told them that the kittens were bonded and must be returned together. They agreed to work with him more and provided updates that things were improving. Two weeks ago, we received a phone call that the kitten they had tried to relinquish was sick. After a vet visit and agreeing to help take care of him, they relinquished him to my care. They also agreed to give me back his brother as long as we reimbursed them for the vet bill. Two days later, they decided they wanted to keep his brother at any cost. What can we do to get his brother back? They are very bonded, and this is a breach of the agreement because the first cat was very sick for two days before they took him to the vet.

My rescue took in four cats from a homeless family living in a car. The cats were in bad shape. One of those cats was microchipped. We tracked the chip back to the vet who implanted it. The vet notified us that the chip was registered to a completely different family than the one who relinquished the cats, so the family the cat was chipped to was notified. The husband (the previous owner of the cat) stated that his ex-wife kept the cat after their divorce, and when she fell on hard times, she gave the cat away. The husband is now stating that their daughter would like the cat back. We are not able to transfer the chip to our rescue unless the husband agrees to the transfer. In this case, does the original family still have legal rights to this microchipped cat?

My ex-girlfriend and I just split up, and she kept all three dogs. One of the dogs was paid for by me, and I have bank statements to prove it, but the adoption paperwork and veterinary records are under my ex’s name. Do I have the right to claim the dog?

I am in need of assistance in getting a dog back from a rescue that was a stray I took in.

Can an animal shelter require me to have my dog neutered if my dog got out of my house?

Earlier this year, I reached out to a rescue to help me re-home some puppies because I was overwhelmed. Five of my dogs all got pregnant and had babies just days apart. Before the puppies were born, I was already struggling, but I was managing. After the puppies arrived, I became completely overwhelmed, so I finally sought help. The woman from the rescue came and took the puppies. She said that because of their age, the mother dogs had to go too. I asked about getting them back, and she assured me I would, even drawing up a contract stating that after the puppies were weaned, I would get the mother dogs back. Unfortunately, she did something I never expected: she posted about the situation on social media, painted me as the bad guy, and called the police, who arrested me for animal cruelty. This is far from the truth. While I acknowledge I had too many dogs, I was not cruel—I provided food, water, and daily outdoor time for all of them. That is why I reached out for help in the first place. Now, the woman won’t answer my calls, and the pound is not letting me see the other animals they took from my house. I don’t know what to do, but my animals are my life, and I need help.

What can I legally do if my husband, that I am going through divorce from, stole two of my dogs that are both microchipped and one of them is my actual emotional support animal for my PTSD from the death of my baby. What are my legal rights? I know where he lives now. He is completely ignoring me. It is causing me extreme emotional distress and he is well aware.

A friend of mine has a service animal, that is a registered service animal, and when he separated from his abusive (mentally and physically) ex-wife she withheld his service animal from him. What can he do under law to get his service animal back?