Animal rescue refuses to give back lost show dog to rightful owner

It sounds like the lady at the rescue had dogs in horrible conditions (if the last posted link was factual) so I wouldn't be surprised if Piper was injured in some way and that lady was trying to hide it.

I've also wondered if she hasn't sold her to some crazy person who's willing to pay a lot of money to get a famous show dog that they think they can pass off as their own. I know it would be next to impossible, but they might not know that.

Honestly I think she's just a TRUE BELIEVER and/or mentally ill. I really think she sees herself as this dog's savior from an eeeeeevil breeder. Or if the stuff about the Meredith family is true, maybe she's just a garden variety sociopath who was hoping for some fame/martyr status and it backfired on her. In any case, I doubt very much that what makes sense to reasonable people makes sense to her or ever will.

I think the dog is probably alive, but has probably been moved far enough away that nobody is going to find the dog at the house or with anyone who still associates with her. I'm wondering if maybe she placed it with someone who won't give it back and she's stalling.

Honestly, if anything fishy is going on at all, I think this is the most probable. I buy this way more than the dog being dead.

Dog is not dead but the lunatic at the rescue has handed the dog to another like minded lunatic friend that she trusts. The dog will not be out in public where it can be seen by anyone. This will not end well for the rescue and that is unfortunate. What a sad situation.

-Mark.

Things shouldn't end well for the "rescue" or either of the two screw jobs hiding the dog.

Five bucks says IF she EVER gives the dog back she's had the dog spayed.

Does anyone know when this case officially goes to court?

I'm not sure if anyone else follows pipers FB page...But, this Friday(the 24th),is Pipers court case.

Praying that after this court case, that Piper will be returned,& that all of this will be done with.

Thanks for the update. I know things more slowly thru the court, but this is kind of insane.

Any updates?

They are going to trial in December, I believe. They had a hearing at the end of October but nothing was settled. The owner is getting a trial lawyer. I'll see if I can find the link to the update and post it.

It wont let me edit my previous post, so here is the link:

http://www.bestinshowdaily.com/blog/breaking-news-piper-case-heads-to-trial/

The trial date in Dec is the continuance of the October pretrial. I suspect this will drag out til at least April or May.

it is just insane. And so scary. And makes you wonder WHAT does constitute proof of ownership if she's rejecting all that??!! I mean, what's to stop any shelter taking any dog and not returning it if this is upheld in court?! It would set an absolute precedence. And that would be very very scary for every dog owner in the US!!!

I have no idea what the laws are here actually. But makes you wonder.

It's sad that this had to be handled in a civil court instead of the dog thief just being arrested for stealing someone else's dog and charged with a crime, because that's what she did. Whoever is harboring the dog at the moment should also be held liable for possession of stolen property.

Probably won't happen, but that's what should happen. I hope they get her back asap and this doesn't drag out with years worth of continuances.

no kidding. All the things that "should" happen, probably won't. i'm hoping the owner can get her dog back before it's dead. and I hope Karma will at least take care of the rest

Proof of ownership does not matter in this situation as the dog was "lawfully" released by the shelter as A) microchipping by itself is not a legally binding proof of ownership in the area and B) the dog was held as a no ID stray for the law defined 4 days (they need not be business days).

However - where things become a stickier wicket is the action beyond that. By law a person can file a petition where it doesn't matter how you got the property someone can claim that they were in fact the lawful owner and that property was wrongfully transferred. That is the crux of what we are dealing with here as the rescuer is claiming that once the dog was released by the shelter any previous ties/claims to that dog are severed which just ain't how the law works concerning property. No title / bill of sale/proof of birth and the critter/car isn't undoubtedly yours. Anyone who has taken the time to buy a car at an auction can tell you how this can bite you in the ass.

Usually how this works in most places though is that dog goes to a shelter - owner/breeder is found - rescue/shelter is happy that the dog is wanted and let's it go back to the breeder/owner. In this case the rescuer has decided that the breeder "isn't good enough" through whatever non legal decision process she has which is just silly - except when you're not expending your own funds. But I suspect in the end this will be about money - and probably a lot of it in the shakedown that will happen to get this dog back when all the paperwork is done.

If you want to make sure this doesn't happen to you:
Make sure if you microchip as your primary form of ID that you keep the info updated.
Make sure in your area tattoos,brands, and microchips are proof of ownership in your county. In many areas brands and tags are considered ownership but the rest was left out since the early 20th century.
Make sure you have a bill of sale/contract for your dog. If you're leaving a dog with someone make sure you have a clear statement of your continued claim to the dog.

If you're feeling extra nice you can always donate to the legal fund for VC (Piper's owner/breeder). Lawyers and legal paperwork is crazy expensive and this stuff adds up fast. http://www.youcaring.com/other/bring-piper-home/223240

My friend had noticed this thread and she had read about this. She had read about this also elsewhere. She had also seen this message:
My friend is interested in knowing what's the result of that trial. She has visited in that website and also couple others linked in this thread:
My friend has also searched in internet. However, she hasn't found out anything. So, does someone know where she could find that piece of information?

i'm not sure, haven't seen any updates myself, though I am curious for a follow up

They have a facebook page (Bring Piper Home) and skimming the most recent post it looks like the December 11th date was a pre-trial hearing, and an actual trial will begin in March of this year.