Ownership Dispute , please help !

I bought a dog 6months ago from a homeless person( looking for money to buy alcohol and arrested immediately after we bought her). I took her to the vets to see if she was chipped , she wasnt so I had her chipped and innoculated etc and have provided her with all the love and anything else that she requires.
On Tues i was accosted by a gentleman claiming that the dog was his. I phoned the police who said that it was a civil matter and not a criminal matter. We gave our detaiols to the police man and after the call had ended the man said that he will be taking me to court for ownership of the Dog. I am very concerned as to my legal standing as I love the dog and have grown very close to each other, I do not want to lose her. Please can you help?

Hi there, what a horrible thing to happen to you after you have taken this dog into your heart and home.

I would say that unless this man has irrefutable proof that the dog is his he doesn't have a leg to stand on. There is no case to answer. If there was no chip in the dog and this man has no clear papers to back up his claim then you have nothing whatsoever to worry about.

Stand up to him and tell him that you are perfectly happy to go to the civil courts......I have a feeling that he will disappear like a puff of smoke, especially when you tell him that he will have to bring hard evidence of his ownership.

Tell him the dog has been spayed as well, maybe add that she is on medication for a heart condition.

rune

Don't panic!

I'm not in any way qualified to give legal advice, but I can tell you of my own recent experience of the legal system.

I wanted to take someone to court, it would have cost £thousands. Luckily, I had legal cover on my home insurance, but as the defender did not have assets in his name, the solicitors wouldn't pursue the matter (I had to settle for the small claims - I got the judgement, but didn't get a penny!).

It will cost him to take you to court. And as the solicitors won't want to loose out, he'll have to fund it up front. What do you reckon the chances are of him gambling a few thousanfd pounds to get YOUR dog.

Tell him you'll see him in court.

hehe, I love the deviousness of it Good thinking

Thankyou all for your kind words and your support, i have been given a voucher from "spaywatch" after made enqiries, i am just waiting for her to have her next season as per vets advice... Maybe i should get her done now .

Good luck with her, I really do think that you need have no further worries about this. As MichaelM said, it costs quite a lot to take someone to court and this man is just relying on you caving in and handing over the dog.

Just give her a cuddle because she is now yours.

Anyone can take out a summons at the County Court and they don't need to be legally represented. It's not difficult for the determined or slightly savvy. But in this case I think the previous owner is trying to frighten you into parting with some money. Just say "Yeah, right I'll see you in court". You will never see them again.

that is horrible! i wouldnt have thought that he has a leg to stand on if the dog isnt chipped... how can he prove that she was his in the first place??

What a horrible situation for you to be in. Did your dog seem to recognise this man? I agree with the others, it will be incredibly hard for this man to prove ownership. At best he may have breeders papers and photos of a dog that may look very similar to your dog.

How did she end up with the homeless person if she was his dog I wonder? Did your vet give you any idea of how old she might be? I suppose it is possible that he owned the dog, or a very similar looking dog when it was younger and it got lost on a walk or stolen, eventually ended up with the homeless person and then you.

Although I would have thought it would be far too difficult to prove he was once the owner, it might be worth having a chat with your citizens advice bureau, I've always found them very helpful in the past. Obviously if you were to get a court summons then you would want to take professional legal advice but I really think this man is going to struggle to prove ownership.

Keep us posted.