Dog Molly must be returned to her owner. The judge decides this in summary proceedings. The couple where Stafford is now staying has no right to keep her with them any longer.
According to the judge, there are no clear indications that the dog will be poorly cared for in the future. That’s what the couple who now care for Molly is afraid of. They temporarily accommodated her when the owner had to go to the Randstad for a few days for a course. Then there was a long silence. Only after a month did he announce that he wanted to pick up the young Stafford again.
No answer
The babysitting family did not respond. Molly turned out to be in poor condition and had fleas and ear mites. The couple believes that the owner is unable to properly care for his dog. They would prefer to keep Molly for themselves. If the owner is not willing to do so, the two want reimbursement for the veterinary costs and the food they have bought for her. They also demand an amount of 1,960 euros for the care of the dog. “In an animal boarding house you also pay per day,” the woman argued during the hearing in the Assen court. Only when that amount has been paid will they want to return Molly.
The judge does not agree with that. No agreements have been made about financial compensation for Molly’s sleepover. He believes that the couple cannot charge costs afterwards. They also have to pay the costs themselves. On June 5, the owner announced that he wanted to pick up the dog again, but a visit to the vet was only made on June 12. The receipts for animal attributes and food are also from after that date. If they had returned the dog to its owner as requested, they would not have had to incur these costs.
Week sick
Molly’s owner struggled with financial problems for a while, after which the water was turned off in his home. There are also photos of the dog in his garden, which is full of rubbish and poop. “That doesn’t look good,” the judge told the man. During the hearing, he admitted that he had not taken good care of the staff for a while. “I was sick that week and couldn’t find another babysitter.”
According to the judge, there is no reason to assume that the dog will not be properly cared for in the future. He also does not see enough evidence that the dog has been seriously neglected by the owner. The couple must return Molly within 48 hours and pay the legal costs of 721 euros.