Q: My ex husband stole my dogs out of spite and gave them to an animal shelter and they already adopted them out before
I had the chance to reclaim them do they legally have to give me my dogs back or give me the names of the people who adopted them
A:
I’m sorry for your loss! That is absolutely abhorrent what your ex did.
In Colorado, once a shelter has a dog for 5 days and the dog goes unclaimed during that period, the shelter legally owns the dog. That’s set out my Colorado regulation. You might want to check if that is also the case in GA. That’s said, if the dogs are already with a third party, the shelter is not legally prohibited from giving you the names of the new owners, they just typically do not do that because it would be bad business for a shelter to give out the names of new owners to old owners and then the new owners have a lawsuit on their hands. You can call the shelter and see if they will voluntarily give you that info, but it’s unlikely.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
