Hi every one. Just a quick question. Does any one know if its possible for bailiffs to take  my 2 Dogs when they visit. i am desperatly hoping the answer is no, cos to loose my possessions is one thing, but loosing my dogs will distroy me.

yes i am afraid it is possible. A case a year or so ago resulted in a woman having her daxies removed & sold to recover debts....it was in the papers at the time Perhaps if you can get them somewhere safe until the danger is over,

They can take anything if you let them into your house, however without a court order they have no legal right to enter your house. However once you let them in they can come back at any time & take whatever they want including any pets as they are in the eyes of the law only possessions If they have a court order they can enter the house whether you are there or not

I would get the dogs to a place of safety asap & do not let them unless they have a court order then sadly you have to admit them

Have you tried contacting your creditors or contacted the CAB for a administration order ?

I aggree. Get the dogs somewhere safe, a friend or a family members home. And dont let them back home untill the whole drama is over.

My cousin once sold me her cat for a fiver so she wouldnt be taken by bailiffs, she had to produce a receipt of sale because the bailifs had been watching her home for a few days to ensure that she wasnt moving things out of the home to avoid them being taken. The bailifs had seen the cat and wanted to take her as well.

because the bailifs had been watching her home for a few days to ensure that she wasnt moving things out of the home to avoid them being taken

If the bailiffs did this they were breaking the law as you are not allowed to"watch"people without good cause  such as a suspected crime for example & removing your own property from your home is not a crime & as the bailiffs are acting in a private capacity they are not allowed to"watch"people. It comes under the Euporean Human Rights Act & they would be liable for prosecution

They do not have any rights to your property before they actually seize to sell & as third parties employed simply to collect the debt or seize goods

When I enquired I was told that no, PETS absolutely cannot be taken (and would be seen as pretty worthless as well) -the Dacshund case was because they were seen as show and breeding animals that were worth money. (But wasn't that quashed as well?)

There have been cases like this where it has been proved bailiffs have no right to take pets -I'm certain my ex will have some old articles  he did for the dog papers laying about and I could check up on it, however with crufts looming it wouldn't be this week.

Another point though, only last year a friend was made bankrupt and she was told that her animals could not be counted towards anything and would never be at any risk.

thats awful- if i were you, i'd get your dogs out of there asap, put them with relatives/friends. what a horrible situation,x

sorry to hear your situation . Hope you can give the dogs to a friend till its over good luck.

ive also heard that pets cannot be taken :)

Quote When I enquired I was told that no, PETS absolutely cannot be taken (and would be seen as pretty worthless as well) -the Dacshund case was because they were seen as show and breeding animals that were worth money. (But wasn't that quashed as well?) End Quote

I was told the exact samething by a bailiff, phone your citizens advice bureau if you would like some advice as to your legal standing.

there was a programme on tv a few weeks ago called Beat the Bailiffs,where these people had got into debt,and that Lorn Spicer,was the commentator,well he had a fancy breed cat,and they said if it has a value they can take it,and sell it at a type of animal auction,and she and the professional Bailiffs swore blind they can do this,ooer
Wendy

If the pet has any market value it can be sold Someone else has mentioned the seizure of some Dachshunds last year

A neutered cross breed would have little"market"value & probably not be seized but an entire breedable pedigree is a different matter

The important thing to remember is that very few of anyone's possessions have any second-hand value. To be honest if the bailiffs have to actually sell the confiscated goods then the company you owe money to will financially be on to a loser anyway.

The purpose of sending bailiffs in is not really to confiscate goods, it is to put extreme pressure on the person owing the money. The 'value' of the goods is in the relative distress to the person caused by their confiscation.

The best advice would be to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau and get them to help you contact the company you owe money to. Explain your financial circumstances and make them the best offer that you are able.

Sorry to hear about your situation.  Was in a similar one myself not that long ago - the best place is the CAB as that is what they are there for.  They will work through your situation with you and give the best advice possible.  Also, you could try and contact your creditors (with a phone call and backed up with a letter) asking for their advice as they deal with this all the time - see if you can make a voluntary arrangement - freeze your interest payments for a set period of time and arrange a payment plan with you - this does mean that it will be recorded on your credit files as having special measures in place and you would not be able to gain further credit until your accounts are settled with the creditors but as long as you stick with the payment plan, it will avoid the bailiffs calling and maybe give you a little breathing space......

Hope you get sorted out soon (PM me if you want more details)
Kerri x

I would say get the dogs out to a place of safety now. Its ok to go to court and find out they couldnt actually take them, by then they will have either been rehomed or put in kennels and they will have suffered. Act before they do, just in case.
best wishes to you, hope it all gets sorted.x

Hello peeps. thanks for all your replies. got alot of thinking to do.. will let u know how i get on ....

The only thing that I could suggest is change the name that they are registered under. The CAB told me that  if you have items in your house but they belong to someone else & you have proof. they have no right to take it. But they told be my dog would be fine anyway. But they are the best people to contact as they will answer your questions.

I saw the programme Beat the Bailiff also and they wstate that yes they can and will remove pets if they can get a good price for it, Also you will have to pay for the keeping of the pet until it is sold on. The man with the cat was more upset about the cat than any of his other possesions thankfully it was only a wake up call but it can really happen as the bailiff on the programme is a bonifide Bailiff, the details they give on the show have to be correct. Chris

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ring
National Debtline on 0808 8084000
It will take a while to get through BUT they are VERY VERY helpful and will know all the ins and outs.
Hope this helps
Lea :)

Thanks for the number!!!.. will give them a call..

in australia beds refridgerators and any other item that is a must and pets cannot be taken however if the fridge or bed was bought with a pay off system with  a store and they needed to collect they would be allowed to take it then but NEVER living thing

Like someone said before take the dogs out of there asap and if you have a relative or a friend that would look after them for you thats great, or you could give a receipt saying that they have paid you for the dogs (a small amount) and that the dogs no longer belong to you. I would do this just to be on the safe side as I am not too  sure if they can take animals in a case like this.
Hope it all works out for you.

Hi,
All goods siezed by the baliffs, go to a local auction, they are not allowed to take and sell live stock
including dogs. They would have the RSPCA on there case. The baliffs can not sieze live stock.
They are not any use to them, remember they are reg; in your name,The homes would not be veted.
If Baliffs ever did take them it would be classed as animal cruelty, also it would cost them to feed them.
Have them health checked ect; home them. Don't worry your dogs are safe.They are after things to sell,
and the things have to belong solely to the person with the debt.
regards
Denese

Have you got hold of debt line?????
Lea :)

Just checked with a local bailiff & yes they can seize anything that might have value including livestock & the animals are kennelled etc until they are resold. She(the bailiff I spoke to)wouldn't seize pets but has in the past had to seize horses(against her will but they were valuable & not paid for :rolleyes:)

The RSPCA would not be involved & there are no laws stopping dogs etc being auctioned There are regular sheepdog auctions all over the UK

have to say- they would have to TRY from me because there would be NO WAY

This has got me very worried and I will be ringing the debtline peeps and asking them what they think.

My hubsand has just got a debt put over to baliffs (we are having money probs but it is slowly emerging how bad his side of things have got)

We have the house on the market and will be moving to a cheaper area to access some of our equaty.

Does anyone know though the debt is a credit card in his name, we are married but my name is different because I didn't change it to his when we married. Our dog is solely in my name therefore could they take it?

I think if it's in the house they have the address for, who actually owned the dog would be irrelevant in their eyes. :( I don't think it would be worth the risk - I'd move him somewhere safe.

I think, as you are married they take all assets together.
If you are living with your parents or somone else not as husband and wife, they cannot seaze the other persons goods.
But ring the debt line tommorow and they should be able to help.
Lea :)

hi

have to correct some things here. Many years ago my husbands business went into bankruptcy.  He was bankrupt and not me. Although we lost our house because it was in JOINT names, and we could not pay the mortgage. anything that was mine was MINE ie my car that was registered in my name and any other goods that I could prove belonged to me.

Debt is an individual thing and other members of the household can not be punished for it. 

http://www.payplan.com/debt-library/bailiffs-bailiff-law.php?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=128506 here is a link with some advice on it.

and another
http://www.askcab.org.uk/resources_site/radviceaz.asp#indexed338

and found this which I think is what you are looking for

Are the bailiffs able to remove all of my goods?

Certain goods are protected from removal by the bailiffs. These include: -
Such tools, books, vehicles and other items of equipment that are necessary to the debtor for use personally by him in his employment, business or vocation.
Such clothing, bedding, furniture, household equipment and provisions as are necessary for satisfying the basic domestic needs of the debtor and his family.
Pets/Live animals

link for that Are the bailiffs able to remove all of my goods?

Certain goods are protected from removal by the bailiffs. These include: -
Such tools, books, vehicles and other items of equipment that are necessary to the debtor for use personally by him in his employment, business or vocation.
Such clothing, bedding, furniture, household equipment and provisions as are necessary for satisfying the basic domestic needs of the debtor and his family.
Pets/Live animals

http://www.northwarks.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=74&pageNumber=4
Hope that all helps

Tanya

Hi,
The national debtline people are brilliant,Baliffs have no right to enter property unless they are invited in,if they will not leave you can also phone the police who will ask them to leave,don't open your door open a window and tell them politly to go away.
If the debt is in your husbands name then he is responsible for it not you.
Another point to remember is Bailiffs can not call unless it has been to court,also remeber too that debt collecting agencies have no more power than who you owe the debt to,although they will often make out they do.
We are having a game at the moment with a debt collecting agency who keeping phoning and asking us to make unrealistic offers of payment,which i am in the process of trying to sort out.
We have sent budget sheets etc but are refusing to accept an offer,so i think the next step for us is to let the courts decide what is an acceptable offer.
You can do a search online for national debtline the info is really good.
Hope you sort thing out soon
Sally

Yes then can take the dog's but all you have to say is that they are the kid's (if you have one or more) also on this they can't take a thing that you have on HP or anything that the kid's own

How are you getting on Uk Jezz??????
i hope all is ging ok?????
Lea :)

I would tell them the dogs didnt belong to me. Do let us know how you get on. It must be a awfull time for you. Good luck xx