Dog Theft

My question involves personal property located in the State of: Colorado

My son's girlfriend lives with her brother. She has a dog she keeps in a kennel while she's away or at work. Her brother and her mother have decided that they're going to take the dog to a shelter because the dog has to be in a kennel. Can they lawfully take the dog? The dog is not abused. Can she file criminal charges for theft?

Can she prove it is her dog? Who owns the house she is living in, or if they don't own it, who is the official tenant on the lease?

Who owns the property the kennel was built on?

I am not sure that either of the last two responses matter...other than the proof of who owns the dog.

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Quoting llworking

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I am not sure that either of the last two responses matter...other than the proof of who owns the dog.

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ok, obviously ownership of the dog is important. If there is no true single owner and it is simply a household dog, the owner/tenant will likely be seen as the owner of the dog. Beyond that, unless the OP has a controlling interest in the home, the person with such interest can impose a no dog rule. While simply taking the dog to the pound may be an issue, ultimately they do have the right to force the dog's removal, one way or another.


and by the OP's referral to a kennel, I am picturing a cage or some similar containment at the residence and not an kennel such as one would board a dog at.

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Quoting jk

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ok, obviously ownership of the dog is important. If there is no true single owner and it is simply a household dog, the owner/tenant will likely be seen as the owner of the dog. Beyond that, unless the OP has a controlling interest in the home, the person with such interest can impose a no dog rule. While simply taking the dog to the pound may be an issue, ultimately they do have the right to force the dog's removal, one way or another.


and by the OP's referral to a kennel, I am picturing a cage or some similar containment at the residence and not an kennel such as one would board a dog at.

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I was picturing the same, which is a very common way to deal with a dog while the owner is working/not at home.

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Quoting llworking

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I was picturing the same, which is a very common way to deal with a dog while the owner is working/not at home.

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Common does not make it humane. Some dogs have kennels they can barely (or can't) stand up or turn around in. Maybe if a dog is in a cage four hours per day, it might be ok. (I guess) but I have a dog that was "kennel crazy" because of how its former owners treated it. He's not really a "good" dog, in the strictest sense of the word, but, he spent his puppy years in a box, so...

If you're going to have a pet, (or a child) be sure you can take care of them properly. It's really not fair to leave living creatures in such conditions. (or even alone in a penthouse suite for long stretches.)

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Quoting mmmagique

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Common does not make it humane. Some dogs have kennels they can barely (or can't) stand up or turn around in. Maybe if a dog is in a cage four hours per day, it might be ok. (I guess) but I have a dog that was "kennel crazy" because of how its former owners treated it. He's not really a "good" dog, in the strictest sense of the word, but, he spent his puppy years in a box, so...

If you're going to have a pet, (or a child) be sure you can take care of them properly. It's really not fair to leave living creatures in such conditions. (or even alone in a penthouse suite for long stretches.)

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That of course is your opinion, and you absolutely have the right to that opinion. However, many people who take very good care of their dogs would not agree with your opinion.

Well, just from a humane perspective, just how enjoyable does one think it can be to be closed in a small cage for major portions of every day. There are more and more arguments saying such kenneling does not make for a happy dog

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Quoting llworking

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That of course is your opinion, and you absolutely have the right to that opinion. However, many people who take very good care of their dogs would not agree with your opinion.

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I would be interested in doing a study on those people. Strictly for educational purposes, of course! :)

Legally, of course, how she keeps her dog is no one else's business (unless it truly does cross the line to legally inhumane) but if her brother is her landlord, and he does not want the dog, she has the option to move it (maybe to the boyfriend's mother's house?!) or allow them to re-home the dog. I would hope if the dog is to be re-homed she would find someone willing to care for it, rather than going to a shelter where it will probably have to be put down.