01x33 - Dog Breeding Side Hustle

[bunniefuu]

You decided to make
some extra money breeding dogs.

-Right.
-Did he give you any money?

[upbeat music]

No, no money.

-That's a lie.
-How's that?

-I mean, I'm not stupid but...
-If you're not stupid,

don't play stupid
when it's convenient.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[upbeat music]

[narrator] Danielle Nantz is suing
her former friend Darrel Bowens

for the cost or the return
of a miniature Dachshund.

[Kevin] Court, come to order.
All rise.

Be seated, please. Kevin?

[Kevin] Hello, Judge.

Case 1087,
Nantz versus Bowens.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Miss Nantz,
what do you do for a living?

I work for Amazon.
And I'm also a CNA part-time.

What do you do for Amazon?

I am a sortation associate.

So, the packages
come in on trailers,

and they leave
on the delivery trucks

that you see
in your neighborhood.

So, we sort them in between.
It's very physical. [laughs]

I have to tell you,
that is some company,

they certainly do know
how to deliver packages,

and I get about 15 of them
a day [laughs],

between my husband,
my grandchildren. [laughs]

Not me, I don't...

You know, if I want something,
I say to my husband,

"This is what I want.
Can you order it for me?"

Because I don't understand
putting it in a cart and

checking off how many.

Oh, okay,
you're not that person.

I'm not that person.

But in your spare time,
Miss Nantz,

what you decided to do

is to make some extra money
breeding dogs.

-Right.
-[Judy] This kind of dog.

Right.

[Judy] And you knew Mr. Bowens
from where?

He and I used to work
at the same company

back in 2018.

And at the time that you met,

did you already have
this breed of dog?

No, ma'am.

[Judy] And did you have
this breed of dog?

-[Danielle] I did.
-[Judy] One?

I had one female,
one male in 2018.

[Judy] So, you decided to sort
of go into business together?

-Right.
-[Judy] And this kind of dog

is called a Piebald Dachshund?

Yes. An extreme Piebald
black and tan mini Dachshund.

[Judy] When I read over
the complaint

and the answer in this case,

I must say that I had
never heard of that.

And so I looked it up
on the Internet, Googled.

[laughs] And-and
it showed this color,

and I had seen this color
before...not usually,

Dachshunds are usually
all brown or all one color.

-[Danielle] Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] And this is

a relatively small one.

How many dogs do you
currently have, Mr. Bowens?

-[Darrel] Two.
-[Judy] You have this one?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Whose name is Pockets.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] You're his wife?

-No.
-[Judy] Who are you?

His colleague and friend.

-But the dog seems
very comfortable with you.

He's comfortable with everyone.

[Judy] Anyway, you decided
to go into business together.

And this case is about breeding
rights and ownership of the dog,

and where the dog
is going to live.

Right.

And how we're
going to sort out this mess

because
you're no longer friends.

Because of this issue.

[Judy] You're no longer friends,

and Pockets
has to have a stable home.

He does.

[Judy] On what date
did you purchase Pockets?

October 13th, 2020.

Who did you
purchase the dog from?

I bought him from
Spottadachs Dachshunds in Utah.

He was a breeder dog for her.

How expensive was the dog?

[Danielle]
Thirty-one hundred dollars.

-2,500 for the dog, and six...
-[Judy] Shhh.

-Okay.
-How much was the dog?

[Danielle]
Thirty-one hundred dollars.

-No.
-How much did I spend with...?

Okay, 2,500.

[Judy] The dog was


Right.

And did you discuss
with Mr. Bowens

-splitting the cost of the dog?
-[Danielle] Um...

Let's be very careful
about this, Miss Nantz.

Did you discuss with Mr. Bowens
splitting the cost of the dog?

We did.

Was that prior
to picking the dog up

on the 13th of October?

We had talked about it,

but he didn't want
to pay for shipping,

-so I bought the dog by myself.
-[Judy] Just a second.

-You had talked with him...
-[Danielle] Hm-mm.

[Judy] ...about splitting
the cost of the dog.

Right.

[Judy] And when you
talked to him

about splitting
the cost of the dog,

did you also discuss,

either orally or commit
to a written instrument,

what the contractual
relationship was

between the two of you
with regard to the dog?

We did not do that.

So, you picked up the dog
on 10-13-2020?

He was shipped to me
from Utah.

[Judy] Subsequent to that,

you turned over physical custody
of Pockets to Mr. Bowens?

In March,

-when his dog was in heat.
-[Judy] So, March 1.

-[Danielle] March 14.
-Of 20...?

[Danielle] 2021.

-[Judy] Okay.
-About March 14th,

it might be the 13th,

it was right before
my dog had puppies.

[Judy] Okay.

And you turned your dog over
to Mr. Bowens on March 13th

because your dog
was going to have puppies?

[Danielle]
That was the agreement.

His dog was coming into heat

-and my dog was having puppies.
-[Judy] Alright, just a second.

Your dog was having puppies.

-[Danielle] Mm-hmm.
-So, between October and March,

-you had no contact?
-We were in an argument

because he didn't want to pay
for the shipping of the dog,

and stormed out of my house,

so we were not talking
until February.

[Judy] Okay. Then something
happened in February.

I called him
and buried the hatchet.

Okay, you called him
in February and said...

I called him
in February and said,

"I apologize for the part
that I played in our arguing.

And I hope that we can be
friends again."

Great. Do you remember
that conversation, Mr. Bowens?

-Yes, ma'am. I do.
-[Judy] Good.

It came, but I mean,

it came from different
parts of our friends.

-[Judy] Mutual friends?
-Yes.

-[Judy] Okay. That's fine
-She-she-she was

-sending messages.
-[Judy] So, in February.

I'm not sure on the timeline

because I think I had Pockets, you know,

like when she put
the deposit down for Pockets,

she hadn't paid
for Pockets in October.

She had only put
the deposit down.

-Then later, we would...
-Okay.

-[Darrel] Okay, sorry.
-[Danielle] It's not true.

Mr. Bowens,
I'm going to stop.

I'm gonna stop right there.

When the dog was purchased
in October,

did you pay the full cost
of the dog?

-Yes, I did.
-[Judy] Okay.

-Do you have proof of that?
-I do.

I'd like to see it.

Well, you usually get
a full contract with this.

That's what I got from her.

I didn't sign a contract.

I just got an invoice
for purchasing him.

Is he an AKC registered dog?

[Danielle] Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Well, you always get
some sort of a contract

when you buy a dog
from a breeder.

She didn't give me a contract.

We didn't have...
this is what I got from her.

That's unusual.
That's actually very unusual.

-Is it?
-[Danielle] Yeah.

Absolutely.
I've owned dogs all my life.

And I've had a particular
breed that I like very much.

And every breeder... well,
the two or three that I've used,

has always had a certificate
of good health,

whether you can use the dog
for breeding purposes,

whether you have to have the dog
neutered at a certain time,

what vaccines the dog has had,
so I know all of these things.

These I take
from my own history.

That's what happens
when you get old.

You have a life's history.

[upbeat music]

Miss Nantz,
I have to tell you something.

I can always tell
from someone's hesitancy

whether or not they're
giving me an accurate story.

That last part of it
was a make-up-as-you-go.

[dramatic music]

[narrator] Danielle Nantz claims
her former friend Darrel Bowens

owes her for the cost
of a miniature Dachshund.

Darrel is countersuing,
claiming Danielle owes him

for his portion of the dog's costs.

So, this looks stupid to me

-from somebody who's breeding.
-[Danielle] Really?

-[Judy] Really.
-Okay.

Looks stupid to me from
somebody who is buying this dog

for the purposes of breeding it.

And if this is all you've got,
then this is a,

probably a game
you shouldn't be playing

if you accept...
the breeding game.

-Okay.
-It's probably the game

that you shouldn't be playing
because you don't...

this, you think,
is what everybody gets.

And I had no intention
to breeding my dog, but...

[laughs] I know the contract
that I signed,

I know the papers that I got,
and if this is all you've got...

In any event, at some point,
you buried the hatchet.

Subsequent to that,
you think it was before,

but it was at least in March.

At least in March.

Okay. How old was Pockets
when you got him in October?

He was, um, almost three.

Three months old?

[Danielle] Almost three years old.

He was born December 29th, 2017.

[Judy] And she was
clearly selling him then

for 2,500 dollars,

which was an expensive price
for an adult dog.

So, this wasn't a puppy.

You were buying this dog
for rehoming purposes.

It's like rehoming,

but you were buying the dog
for breeding

because she had not
had the dog neutered.

Right.
He was a breeding dog for her,

and he was going to be
a breeding dog for me.

Um, he is Embark clear,

so he's not got
any genetic issues.

And that's why
I was feeling comfortable enough

to pay as much
as I did for him.

So, instead of buying a dog

and not knowing if it has
PRA or something.

On what date
did Mr. Bowens give you



It was when his,

the day that his puppies
went home.

-What date did Mr. Bowens...?
-[Darrel] It's gonna be,

the total amount was paid,

-Your Honor, on...
-[Judy] No, no, no,

-just answer my question.
-July the 28th.

-July...?
-[Darrel] The 28th.

Yeah, that was the day
that the puppies went home.

That's the date
the puppies could go home.

[Judy] So, when you say
that's the date

that the puppies could go home,

you used Pockets to breed
with a female that you owned?

I used my dog Pockets

-to breed with...
-Shh, I haven't decided

-whose dog it is.
-[Darrel] I'm sorry.

Up until you make
your decision...

[Judy] You used Pockets?

Yes, ma'am.

With her permission?

Did you tell her that you were
going to breed Pockets?

[Darrel] Yes, she knew

-I was gonna breed Poc...
-No, not what she knew.

-That's not my question.
-Okay.

[Judy] Did you tell her that
you were going to breed Pockets?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Is that correct?

It is.

So, you had a discussion about it.

Was that discussion in person
or over the phone?

In person.
We hang out a lot, we used to.

Okay. So, by that time,

you had sort of
sorted things out.

-[Danielle] Mm-mm.
-And you bred Pockets

with a female that you owned?

-That I purchased from her, yes.
-[Judy] Okay.

-Great.
-When did you purchase

that female from the plaintiff?

-[Darrel] Okay.
-He didn't buy it from me.

-[Judy] No, no, no.
-Okay.

-I didn't buy the dog.
-[Judy] No, no, just a second.

-Don't speak.
-Okay.

[Judy] I'm not looking
at you now.

[Darrel] Okay, let me
explain this.

We were co-workers at a company.

And she was looking
for another job.

And she has a trouble
of keeping jobs and being happy.

I understand.

[Judy] Don't
editorialize for me.

[Darrel] I'm not gonna do it,

-I'm sorry.
-[Judy] This case is

gonna be long enough as it is.

-Okay. All right.
-[Judy] Okay.

What I saw in her was
that she was great with dogs.

She had a lot of knowledge about dogs

with my previous experience

before we start working together.

During the process
of our friendship,

she had a litter of puppies
that she made

quite a substantial
amount of money on.

And so while she's looking
for this different job,

because she doesn't feel like
she's doing well on-on the job

that we're on, and I was
one of the top agents,

I said, "Look, all my life

I've done stuff
that I like to do.

You love puppies,

but you just had
a litter of puppies."

And what she did
with a male puppy

was fix her male puppy
and gave him away.

Then she was getting ready
to give away her female puppy

after she got her fixed.

She got the male puppy
that just bred the puppies

and gave him away.

Then she was gonna do
the same thing

[clears throat] with Daphne.

[Judy] With Daphne?

-Her female puppy.
-Her female.

-[Darrel] Right.
-Well, her female dog.

[Darrel] Female dog.
I'm sorry, yeah.

How old is the dog?

-[Darrel] I thought...
-I wasn't giving her away.

I was gonna fix her
to not have any more puppies.

How old was Daphne?

[Danielle] At that time?

Yes. She just had
a litter of puppies.

She was two and a half.

So, you were going to
have her fixed and rehome her?

No, I was not
going to rehome her.

[Judy] You were going to keep her.

Keep her. I was just hoping

I wasn't gonna have more puppies.

[Judy] Okay.

You subsequently
changed your mind.

I did. Darrel talked me out of it.

[Judy] Okay, just, just...

Yeah. [exhales deeply]

[Judy] And Daphne
went to live with him?

-No.
-No.

-[Judy] No.
-She still lives with her.

So, Daphne
still lives with you.

What about Daphne's puppies?

Did one of Daphne's puppies
go to the defendant?

No, never.

[Judy] Never. According to you,

the female dog that he has,
he didn't get from you.

I just helped him find it online.

Well, tell me about that.

[Danielle] Okay, I found her
on PuppyFind,

and I made an agreement
with the person

that was selling the puppy.

So, you found
this puppy on PuppyFind.

-Mm-hmm.
-And contacted this person.

-Mm-hmm.
-Was this person

selling the dog
or giving it away?

[Danielle] Selling.

For how much?

-I didn't pay for her,
so I think it was 1,200.

[Judy] And what was
that puppy's name?

-Eventually?
-[Danielle] Pearl.

Did Pearl eventually
wind up with Mr. Bowens?

-Yes, from the beginning.
-[Judy shushes]

Sorry. [breathes deeply]

[Judy] And that's
the female dog, Pearl,

that ultimately had a litter
of puppies with Pockets?

[Darrel] Yes.

Okay. Now,
where did Pearl come from?

-Did she...? What state?
-Texas.

[Judy] Texas.

And tell me how you communicated
with Mr. Bowens then,

that you had located a puppy
for 1,200 dollars in Texas?

I think that...

I imagine it was in person
or over the phone.

I think it was over the phone.

Um, and at the time,
I had planned in the beginning,

I was going to keep her,

but then he said that he would
like to have her.

So that's how that happened.

Okey-dokey.

Well, Miss Nantz, I have to
tell you something.

I have this thing
in the back of my neck.

It twitches one way to another.

So, I can always tell
from someone's hesitancy

whether or not they're
giving me an accurate story.

That last part of it
was a make-up-as-you-go.

Mr. Bowens,
you want to tell me how

-Yes, ma'am.
-Pearl got into your custody?

[Darrel] Yes, ma'am.

[dramatic music]

Subsequent to that, I said,

did he give you any money?
And you said no.

You want to read that
back to me? Subsequent.

[Danielle]
Which means before, right?

I mean, I'm not stupid but...

If you're not stupid,
don't play stupid.

If you're not stupid,
don't play stupid

when it's convenient.

There were two words
most people know.

Previous is before,
subsequent is after.

Okay, I had it backwards.

Well, that's too bad.

[dramatic music]

[upbeat music]

[narrator] Danielle Nantz
has accused her former friend

Darrel Bowens of refusing
to return or pay for

the miniature Dachshund
she purchased.

Darrel says Danielle
gave him the dog

and owes him
for the dog's costs.

Okay, Mr. Bowens,
you want to tell me how...

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] ...Pearl got
into your custody?

Yes, ma'am.
She came to me.

[Judy] In person?

-Yes. In person.
-[Judy] Or on the phone?

In person.

-Most of our transactions...
-At your h*...

At your home or at the off...?

At one of, I mean,
we hung out, barbecued.

-Okay.
-Okay.

So, she was at your house.

Right. Well, it might have been
at her rental house.

She had a longtime resident
left it in a mess.

I went over there,
free of charge, as a friend,

to help her paint it.

I also offered her to pay
for the outside of the paint

so she could go ahead
and match the color

so she could just sell it
instead of just renting it out.

During that time,
she was concerned,

by not working,
that she wouldn't have the money

for her mortgage.

She asked me,
would I purchase Pearl?

And I said,
"Sure I'll purchase Pearl,"

-so she could cover her mortgage.
-Was Pearl...

was Pearl
already in her custody?

As I can remember, yes.

But it's possible
that she had just negotiated

-with this woman in Texas.
-[Darrel] Because this is over

a three-year period
with a friend

that you're not having to

recalculate everything,
you know.

[Judy] Okay.
But you gave her money...

-Yes.
-[Judy] ...for that dog?

[Darrel] Absolutely.

-And that dog...
-So she can cover her mortgage.

And that dog
was 1,200 dollars?

[Darrel] I think it was
a thousand dollars,

and then 200 dollars
for the transportation

if I'm not... you know,
I have to go with her word,

which... [laughs]

[Judy] Okay.
Does that sound right?

I think that sounds right.

Oh, it sounds like
a complete story to me

that makes sense, as opposed
to what you told me a moment ago.

Okay. So, now we have this dog
father a litter of puppies.

Pockets has been in your custody
for March, April, May,

June, July, August,
and so far in September?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Seven months.

-Or more.
-[Judy] Or more.

And the dog,
for the last seven months,

the dog was in your custody, this dog,

October, November, December,
January, February,

and part of March?

Right.

[Judy] Correct?
And the dog has been now,

if you get the dog back,
in three homes?

Total. Mm-mm.

Yes. As an adult dog.
So far, am I correct?

So far, the dog has been living
with him the last seven months.

And it was rehomed
by its original owner

when it was two and a half
or three, to you.

So, I want you to understand,
Miss Nantz.

If he paid anything to you,
you're not getting the dog back.

I want you to understand that.
There is a certain humanity.

So, my question to you is,

did Mr. Bowens give you any money?

We're not talking about
for the other dog,

the female dog
that you got from Texas.

I'm talking about,
subsequent to Pockets

going to live with Mr. Bowens,
did he give you any money?

No.

-[Judy] No money?
-No money.

[Judy] Okay.

That's a lie.
According to you.

-How's that?
-[Judy] According to you,

that's a lie,

because you swore
to a complaint.

And in your complaint,
you say on June 2nd, 2021,

Darrel gave me 1,250 dollars.

[Danielle] Well, subsequent
means before, right?

No subse...

Subsequent to.

[Judy] I said
subsequent to Pockets.

-[Danielle] Living...
-Going to live with him,

which was at least in March,

according to you -
pay attention.

Mm-mm.

[Judy] Which was in least
in March, according to you.

Subsequent to that,
my question was simple.

And I said it three times,
and you're an intelligent woman.

So, subsequent to that, I said,
did he give you any money?

And you said no.

You want to read
that back to me? Subsequent.

[Danielle]
Which means before, right?

I mean, I'm not stupid but...

If you're not stupid,
don't play stupid.

If you're not stupid, don't play stupid
when it's convenient.

There were two words
most people know.

Previous is before,
subsequent is after.

Okay, I had it backwards.

[Judy] Well, that's too bad.
I don't believe it.

-You really should.
-[Judy] I don't,

I don't believe it.
I was very clear.

I said it three times or twice.

Sorry, I didn't know
what subsequent meant.

"I'm talking about
subsequent to Pockets

going to live with Mr. Bowens,
did he give you any money?

And she said no."

Correct.
And that's not true.

Yeah, he gave me 1,250 after.

[Judy] Just a...

Subsequent to Pockets
going to live with Mr. Bowens,

he gave you
half of Pockets' cost,

which was 2,500 dollars.

Not including the shipping.

[Judy] Just a second. [laughs]
I'm not talking about shipping.

I'm talking about,
because I'm getting annoyed,

subsequent to Pockets
going to live with Mr. Bowens

for at least seven months.

Now, subsequent
to March of 2021,

he gave you 1,250 dollars,

which is half the cost
of the dog.

That's all I want to know.

That doesn't mean
he paid for the whole dog.

That doesn't mean
he paid for the whole dog.

But he paid,
and it's a neat number

because according to you before,

you got into an argument
over the shipping costs.

That's what the original
breakup of the friendship was.

We don't have to go back
to that, Whitney,

I actually remember that
distinctly,

that they were good friends
with the barbeques

and everything else together,

and they were in
each other's houses.

He went and painted your house
to help you out,

blah blah blah, blah blah blah,
blah blah blah.

You got into a kerfuffle
over the shipping costs

because the shipping costs
for Pearl were 200,

the shipping costs for Pockets was 600.

Now it's all coming together.

You say, "I'm not paying


Pearl was 200.

I'll pay the 200,
I'm not paying 600."

You got into a fight
over 400 dollars.

All right. Uh, I've sort of
had enough of this case.

You want this dog, sir?

Yes, ma'am, I do.
I love this dog.

And this dog looks
very, very comfortable,

very, very happy,
very contended,

and very well taken care of.

So, I'm going to
make you whole, madam.

Judgment for the Plaintiff
in the amount of 1,250 dollars.

We're finished here.
Thank you.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

[dramatic music]

Darrel got greedy
after he had the puppies.

I offered all of my time
and energy to help her out.

He just doesn't care
about them like I do.

I just wish her the best.

Darrel will take good care of them.

It's not about
the money with him.

I love him dearly, you know.

That dog, I had never
seen one quite like it.

And it was a great-looking little dog,

and it looked very, very happy.

And I know that probably
the plaintiff isn't happy

with that judgment,
but with that judgment,

the dog doesn't get to move again.

It's already had
three different homes

in its relatively short life.

So, I'm sort of happy
he's staying where he-he is,

and he's comfortable.

And plaintiff may not have
gotten all the money she wanted,

but she's whole.

She paid 2,500 dollars
for the dog,

and she got 2,500 dollars
for the dog,

and she had her house painted.

I think the right thing happened.

[Sarah] I agree.

[narrator]
Have you been cheated?



[upbeat music]