Legal issues involving pets can sometimes get pretty dicey, considering how they can be labeled as both ‘property’ as well as members of a family. That said, an Ohio woman has found herself in quite the hairy situation with a purebred dog she adopted. According to her post on r/legaladvice, she met the first owner of the pet through a mutual friend. And since the said owner was going through “a difficult period,” she was offered to rehome the dog. However, that’s when the dog’s Karen breeder stepped into the picture with quite the temper.
“The breeder called me back and DEMANDED I return the dog or she would sue ME if I didn’t give the dog back,” the Ohio owner explained. The reason for this sudden lawsuit threat is that the initial owner had signed a contract promising to return the purebred to the breeder after it grew up. In other words, it wasn’t supposed to be rehomed. And even though the woman in this story wasn’t even involved in the matter, the Karen took out her rage on her, making her the victim of her “breeder contract lawsuit.”
The woman is doing her best to be reasonable and understanding, claiming that the Karen is a “reputable AKC breeder and exhibitor of an uncommon breed of dog” and has not harassed the current owner in any way. “Honestly, she wasn’t even super unpleasant to me during our conversation,” the owner says, further trying to paint a good picture of the breeder. Still, the post’s comment section collectively agrees that the breeder’s opinions shouldn’t be taken into consideration, considering how she’s unlawfully trying to sue the purebred’s caretaker.
“Contracts for pets are fully insane,” says one user. “Every single time I see one I think ‘wow, that’s crazy aggressive.'” They continue, pointing out how breeders and pet adoption agencies irrationally claim they have the right to do anything they want with a pet as long as it’s alive. Treating the pet like a piece of property aside, many agree that there’s no privity of contract between the woman and the Karen, so the breeder should be ignored.
Hopefully, the woman takes the advice to heart and avoids any more unnecessary interaction with the breeder that might make her liable to actual legal trouble.
