i have a springer spaniel and my dad bought the dog as a little puppy...mean time my parents moved away as they had family issues to sort out, so the dog stayed with me and my brother, i went travelling for a few months and so did my brother so we left the dog with a close friend of ours! when my brother got back he got the dog back and everything was fine until his girlfriend (that by the way never liked the dog) told him he couldn't keep it! anyway i come back i we have the dog until they split up a couple of weeks later and she decides to take the dog with her due to issues with my brother! I have only been able to see him once and she wont give it back to me shes threatened me saying she changed the dog chip and hes no longer legally mine and she also stole all the dog vet papers when she moved out! i have a letter from my dad saying hes passing ownership to me, just wondering if anyone can give me any advice on how i can get my dog back, i have also been to the police, and they say that without the dog papers they cant help me is this true? can someone please help!
thank you

If the dog had a chip with your fathers name originally then the dog can be scanned and the chip will identify your father as the owner. If the woman has had another chip inserted into the dog it will have her name but the day of the chip will be after date.

The papers will presume be in the name of your Dad as if there is a request to change ownership with the KC the original owner would have to sign the paperwork.

The one thing to consider is that the woman could potentially ask for monetary compensation for looking after the dog for board , food and any other expenses so if you proceed with legal action to get the dog back potentially you could have a counter claim.

I would consider taking this further as it maybe alot of hassle and expense so be prepared for that.

Here is a solicitor specialising in laws relating to dogs so hopefully should be able to advise you

http://www.doglaw.co.uk/?gclid=CO3ulMOskq0CFegmtAodmHgrlA