Q: What can I do with a dog I cannot afford that has paperwork that my mother bought without asking if it was okay?
My mother decided to take it upon herself to buy a purebred Great Pyrenees (huge dog) and ship it to my house for my family. The dogs papers have my moms name on it and a lot of agreements, one which is to never give the animal to a rescue. I cannot afford this animal at all and when I told my mother she needs to get the dog she bought I was told “no, I already got a new puppy”. So now I am looking at selling the dog which seems to be allowed on the contract, but I’m not even the legal owner and fear I can get sued for the money of the sale? I really do not know what to do with this poor dog, but I really cannot afford her nor have the time for her as I am a busy mom of 5. When I’ve asked for help with my kids to take the dog to the vet or groom her my mom, the person who picked out this dog, tells me she’s “too busy”. This has been going on for 2 years and the amount of damage the dogs creates to the yard, and the amount of money she costs to care for her is far too much for myself.
A: You are not a party to the contract with the seller which your mother signed. Thus, you are not bound by the terms of the contract and don't owe whatever your mother may still owe. And she gave it to you; it's yours to do with as you please.
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