A couple was ordered to return a Belgian Shepherd dog to a girl and her mother, whose neighbors they are, in the Pampulha region, in Belo Horizonte (MG). They will have to pay compensation, in the amount of R$10,000 for both, for moral damages, and R$2,200 for each of the dog’s three puppies born while she was under the undue guardianship of her neighbors.
The decision was taken by Judge Emerson Marque Cubeiro dos Santos, from the 8th Civil Court of Belo Horizonte. For him, the couple acted in bad faith by finding the animal on the street and not returning it, even after recognizing that the neighbors were the real owners.
According to the process, on March 3, 2022, the dog escaped from her owners’ home, who, upon noticing her disappearance, began searching through various means, including leafleting, rescue websites and sound cars.
The following day, they were informed that a dog with similar characteristics was taken to a veterinary hospital. The child’s mother tried to obtain data about the person who took the animal to the clinic, as well as images of the dog at the establishment, but was unsuccessful.
Days later, the woman was surprised by the dog being guided by a trainer, on the same street where she lives. When trying to approach him, the man fled with the dog and entered a nearby house. The woman and her daughter contacted the owners of the house and asked for the dog, named Hanna, to be returned, however, the other family refused to return the pet.
The mother filed a lawsuit in her name and that of her daughter, asking for the animal to be returned, in addition to compensation for moral damages. The neighbors who picked up the dog tried to justify that the animal was weakened, a victim of mistreatment and that if they were forced to return it they should be reimbursed for veterinary and other care costs. They also stated that the puppies born in the meantime were not purebred, that they kept one of them and donated the other two.
In the process, judge Emerson Cubeiro dos Santos reiterated that for him, the couple acted in bad faith by not returning the animal to the neighbors, even after discovering that both were the guardians.
This content was originally published in Couple ordered to pay compensation for not returning dog to neighbors on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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