01x86 - Dog Breeding Battle

[bunniefuu]

You purchased a female puppy
from her?

I just want my dog,
but I wanted to be able to breed her.

We went into it as a pet agreement
which is this contract.

Which disallows you from breeding
the dog.

[PJ] I don't want the dog.
I want the dog fixed.

Well, I can't do that. I mean, I
don't have the equipment here.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Taylor Lewis is suing
dog breeder PJ Carter

for breach of contracts and fraud.

[Kevin] Court come to order. All rise.

Thank you. Have a seat, please.

[Kevin] Hello, Judge.
Case 1069, Lewis versus Carter.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

[Judge Judy] Ms. Lewis, what got
you interested in breeding dogs?

[Taylor] I love the breed
and I wanted to help bring something

to the breed to help
bring healthy dogs into the world.

- What breed?
- Bull Terriers.

[Judge Judy] Had you ever
had a Bull Terrier before?

Yes. I actually found one for my
husband. I...

Where did you get the one
that you got for your husband?

[Taylor] I just found her on Facebook.

He wasn't AKC-registered or anything.

[Judge Judy] Well, if not AKC-registered,
how did you know that the

one that you got for your husband
was a purebred Bull Terrier?

Well, we were told that he was purebred.

We saw his mom and his dad.

- Well, you saw two dogs?
- [Taylor] Yes.

But at that point,
I wasn't even interested in breeding.

[Judge Judy] Okay. And that's a male
dog?

- [Taylor] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Who I gather

from these papers has never been neutered?

No, he has not.

So you have unregistered,
unneutered dog, and according to you,

I think what you said is you wanted
to do something for the breed?

Would you read that back to me?

She said, "I love to breed and I wanted
to help

bring something to the breed to help
bring healthy dogs into the world."

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So you went looking for a female?

- [Taylor] Yes. But just to be...
- [Judge Judy] Just, just to be what?

A companion.

- [Judge Judy] Okay. Not to breed?
- [Taylor] No. I actually

- [Taylor] have evidence...
- Just a sec-

- Not to breed?
- No.

[Judge Judy] And how did you find
the defendant?

- [Taylor] On Facebook.
- [Judge Judy] She is, according

to your papers, a recognized breeder
of Bull Terriers?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] How much did you pay

- for your husband's dog?
- F-four hundred dollars.

[Judge Judy] Now you found the defendant

who was an experienced breeder
of Bull Terriers on Facebook

and you ultimately purchased a female...

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] ...puppy from her

whose name is I think Adora?

- [Taylor] Yes.
- On what date

did you purchase the dog from her?

On, January 19th of 2020.

[Judge Judy] Did you pay her the $2,000?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Did she pay you

- the $2,000 ultimately?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] And you bought this dog
as a companion but this companion dog

did in fact have a litter?

- [Taylor] Yes. So...
- [Judge Judy] Don't.

- Sorry.
- [Judge Judy] I'm getting there.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] This companion dog

had a litter. That wasn't an accident?

- Um-um.
- [Judge Judy] Because you didn't

breed this companion dog
with your husband's dog?

- No, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Because your

- husband's dog is un-papered?
- [Taylor] Yes. And I would

- [Taylor] never do that.
- Sometimes you don't have a choice.

- So you purposefully bred the dog...
- Uh-hmm.

- [Judge Judy] ...to have a litter?
- Uh-hmm.

- On what date?
- [Taylor] January 3rd. We did

artificial insemination, and again
on January 6th of 2020...or 2021.

[Judge Judy] And who owned the male
dog?

Ms. Carter's friend had the male dog.

- [Judge Judy] Is that correct?
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] And that littler produced

- how many puppies?
- [Taylor] Six.

Now, when you purchased this puppy,
you had a co-ownership agreement

with the defendant?

[Taylor] We did not. She gave me a
year, um, because

she said that we were very
knowledgeable with dogs,

- so on and so forth.
- [Judge Judy] She gave you a year

- for what?
- [Taylor] To figure out if we wanted

to breed her or not.
At that time, we could enter

- a co-own agreement.
- Okay. So when did you in fact

enter into the co-own agreement
because if the dog was bred in

January with a friend of hers, there
evidently was a meeting of the minds

that you were going to use this dog...

- [Taylor] Yes, ma'am.

...at least one time
for breeding purposes.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] So then entered into

a co-ownership agreement,
which I'd like to look at.

- [Taylor] Yes. Um, the...
- Because it has terms on it. Kevin?

The date that she was paid off was
on...

Just a second.

The puppy that was sold, you
purchased on what date?

That's what I was trying to say.
We got her on July 19th. And when

she was paid off and we entered into
the co-own agreement

was on July 9th of 2021.

We went into it as a pet agreement
and then when it was...

when she paid the dog off, I said,
"Okay. Now, I'm gonna register her.

Do you wanna go into the co-own
or do you guys wanna keep her as a

pet?" So then we both agreed to do a
co-own which is this contract

- and then...
- [Judge Judy] And then you...

Then I registered her.

[Judge Judy] And when you registered
her, did you pay the plaintiff any

- money?
- No. I paid for the registration.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So let me understand this.

- She paid you $2,000 for the dog?
- Right.

[Judge Judy] And it was sold as a
pet?

- Right.
- [Judge Judy] Just wanna get it

clear. If she decided within the one
year she wanted to breed her,

then you would co-own the dog.

You would not get
any puppies from the litter?

- [PJ] No, I would.
- You would?

So you were supposed to get
how many puppies from a litter?

- One.
- [Judge Judy] Did you get a puppy

- from the first litter?
- [PJ] Yes.

[Judge Judy] Did you sell that puppy?

[PJ] Yes.

- [Judge Judy] For how much.
- Uh, she has not been paid

or anything yet. It was to my best
friend, but she was for 2,500.

Okay. Did you sell the remaining five
puppies?

[Taylor] Yes, ma'am.
Or we kept one, we sold four, sorry.

[Judge Judy] Did you keep a male
or a female?

- A male.
- [Judge Judy] How much did you sell

the other four puppies for?

For 2,500 to $3,000.

[Judge Judy] And how much
approximately would the vet bills

and the breeding that you had?

- Like, $2,300?
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And what was the stud fee
for the dog?

- $1,000.
- You spent a thousand dollars

- for the stud fee?
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] And how much did you
spend for shots for the puppies,

et cetera? I'm trying to figure out.
You sold the puppies

for an average of $2,750 apiece?

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Times four.

There was three that was sold
for 2,500 and then one

that was sold for 3,000.

Did you in fact allow a female puppy
to be registered with full breeding

rights to the person that you sold
the female puppy to?

- I did not.
- [Judge Judy] That's either a yes

- or a no.
- No...yes.

That's either a yes or a no.

You just told me both things.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Taylor Lewis says dog
breeder PJ Carter breached their

contact. PJ is countersuing,
claiming Taylor breached

the breeding contract and wants her
to return a Bull Terrier.

Okay. So we have $10,500.

- [Taylor] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And minus

a thousand dollars
that you paid for the stud fee.

- [Taylor] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Is $9,500.

Now you're gonna tell me
what your vet bills were.

[Taylor] Okay. I think it was about...

[Judge Judy] Don't give me anything
other than bills.

- [Taylor] Okay.
- I don't wanna see anything

other than bills.

Okay.

Just make sure
I'm sending you the right thing.

Sarah, do me a favor, add,
add those up.

Make sure that they're all for Adora
and her puppies, okay?

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. So, so far,

you've covered the cost of the dog
and made several thousand dollars.

Sarah is gonna tell me exactly
how much.

- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] This is your complaint.

Your complaint is that the
defendant

must have forged your name
to AKC papers?

- [Taylor] Yes.
- And taken you off

- as the co-owner of the dog?
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] Making herself sole
owner of the dog.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Which disallows you

from registering the dog
or further breeding the dog?

- And showing...
- And/or showing the dog?

- [Taylor] Yes.
- You've never shown her before?

- No. The only reason...
- [Judge Judy] Just...

I didn't was because of COVID.

[Judge Judy]
You've never shown her before?

- No.
- You have a counterclaim?

- [PJ] Uh-hmm.
- And your counterclaim

- is for breach of this contract?
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] This breeding contract
and for the value of the dog.

Which actually you've already
been paid for, $2,000,

and/or the dog back
which you're not gonna get because...

- [Taylor] Your Honor...
- [Judge Judy] ...is part

of their household.

Your Honor,
that was the other thing too.

I wanted to request
that I get ownership of Adora.

[Judge Judy] My only question is,
did you in fact...to you,

did you in fact sign her name
to a document that allowed you

to advise the AKC,

put your name as sole owner of the
dog?

- No.
- [Judge Judy] Well,

are you now the sole owner
of the dog?

[PJ] Only with the AKC. That was a
confusion

that she was thinking I would steal
the dog from her and I said,

"All I'm doing is taking ownership
of the breeding rights of the AKC.

- That's it."
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Now, you took ownership of that
while you had co-ownership with her,

and you did that by executing
a document just in your own name?

Right. And she could
have done the same thing to me.

[Judge Judy] But she didn't,
because that's a breach of contract.

But it...the contract already
had been broken,

that's why I put her into my name.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

You have to tell me
what you think gives you the right

to change the contract that you had?

- There was no change of it.
- [Judge Judy] There was

because you are now the sole breeding
right owner of the dog. And prior

- to that, both of you were.
- [PJ] Right. Okay.

[Judge Judy] So there is a difference.

As you said, she could have done it
to you, you did it to her,

so you have to tell me what you
consider a valid reason and one

that did not breach the contract
that the two of you entered into.

Right. Okay. I tried to teach her how to
register

the puppies and she refused my help.

So when she registered
the puppies on May 1st,

she registered one of the females
with full breeding rights.

Okay.

[Taylor] That was actually a typo...

Shh, shh. Just a...I don't want you
to interrupt again.

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] She registered one

of the puppies with full breeding
rights?

- [PJ] Correct.
- Okay.

And that was in violation
of what clause of this agreement?

- Just tell me.
- [PJ] Uh, on the back

under Breeding Agreement #3.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

"All puppies sold must be sold
with limited papers unless agreed

upon by everyone,

must be stated in the contract
between future breeding partner."

Okay.

So all puppies must be sold
with limited papers,

I understand what that means.

You know, that means that they're being
sold

as pets and...

The people don't have breeding rights
to the dog.

[Judge Judy] No, they don't. Correct.

Right. So she sold it
with full breeding rights or...

- Okay. Which...
- [PJ] She...

- One of the...
- [PJ] She registered it with

- full breeding rights.
- Just a sec.

- She registered it herself...
- [PJ] Correct.

[Judge Judy] ...with full breeding
rights to her?

No, to the person
that bought the dog.

Kevin, may I see what
she's talking about?

- [Sarah] And I have that total.
- [Taylor] Your Honor...

- [Judge Judy] Hmm?
- [Sarah] I have total

- whenever you're ready.
- Great. What's the total?

[Sarah] $1,553.35.

- Great. Thank you.
- Uh-hmm.

[Taylor] Your Honor, I have evidence.

- [Judge Judy] Shh. Just a second.
- Okay.

[Judge Judy] I told you
not to interrupt me again.

Sorry.

Subtract that figure from $9,500,
please.

It's the top one to your left, Judge.

- [PJ] That's a letter from AKC.
- [Judge Judy] Shh.

Okay. This says the dog was
registered online with AKC on May 1st

to the new owner of the dog
with full registration.

And on July 9th, it was corrected
to limited registration...

- By myself.
- [Judge Judy] By you?

- I corrected it.
- No, ma'am.

- [Judge Judy] Okay. Just...oh.
- [Taylor] Sorry.

[Judge Judy] If you do it again,
I'm just gonna dismiss your case.

- Okay. I'm sorry.
- [Judge Judy] And then we're gonna

be gone.

Did you in fact allow on May 1st,

a female puppy to be registered

with full breeding rights to the person

that you sold the female puppy to?

- I did not.
- [Judge Judy] That's either a yes

- or a no.
- No...yes.

That's either a yes or a no.
Well, you just told me both things.

On May 1st when one of the puppies
were sold,

did you sell that puppy and allow it

to be registered
with full breeding rights,

full registration?

- Did you allow that to happen?
- No.

[Judge Judy] That's either a yes or
a no?

- No.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. You have some

- proof of that.
- [Taylor] Yes.

I'd like to see it.

I have that number for you.

What is it?

[Sarah] $7,946.65.

Okay. Thank you.

Okay.

So you sold...according to this,

the animal was sold
with limited full co-own.

I don't know what that means.

And it says that said dog

must be altered by one year
and a copy

of the alter certificate
must be sent to the seller.

I don't know what that is,
that you're looking at.

[Judge Judy] Well, this looks like a
signed...

[PJ] Is that the contract between
her...

Shh. This is a contract between her

and the person to whom
she sold the puppy.

Okay? You can show it to the
defendant.

[PJ] Can I explain something?

J-just look at it before
you explain it.

Yes.

[PJ] So, on the day
that she registered the puppies,

she registered three different
puppies, the one they kept,

the one they sold that I had no part
in selling,

and another puppy
that I had sold for them. Out

of those three puppies, those two
puppies were sold with full breeding

rights and did not have my kennel
name in the registered name.

- Okay.
- [PJ] So how was it an accident,

the puppy that I have no...
I have nothing to do with

gets full breeding rights?

And I have...AKC says
they have full breeding rights.

She registers one puppy correctly,
two puppies incorrectly,

the two that I have nothing
to do with.

- So after I...
- [Judge Judy] Just a sec.

She is attempting to answer that question.

What is this that you're showing me?

[Taylor] With...on the highlighted
part,

where she says that she wanted n-no
responsibility

or anything to do with the, um,
with rehoming the puppies.

But you're not rehoming them,
you're selling them.

- [Taylor] Or selling them. Sorry.
- [Judge Judy] She doesn't.

- What does have to do with...
- [Taylor] Well, she was saying

that she wasn't part of it
and that was part of her problem.

[Judge Judy] No. She doesn't have
to be consulted about your...

- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] ...the buyers

- of your puppies.
- Uh-hmm.

- I want the dog fixed end of...
- [Judge Judy] Well, I can't do that.

I mean, I don't have
the equipment here.

[PJ] Right. So the only thing I...I
wish.

The only...the only thing
I was able to deal with...

[chuckles] I would...I would if
I...believe me...

[PJ] The...

I would if I could but I can't.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Taylor Lewis has accused
dog breeder PJ Carter of breaching

their contracts and falsely claiming
full ownership of their Bull Terrier.

PJ wants Taylor to return the dog
or get her fixed.

[Judge Judy] Now, they have to be
registered in a proper way

- according to this contract...
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

...which she says they were not.

And according to the AKC,

they were not registered
in a manner consistent with

the agreement that you had with her,

which is that she would be consulted,

you would consult with each other
with regard to breeding.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And ownership.

Well, so it's a problem.

You wanna keep this dog?
Do you wanna keep this dog?

[Taylor] Yes. She's a part of my family.

- She's tattooed on my arm.
- [Judge Judy] Oh, okay.

And so far, according to Sarah's math

and according to my figures,

$10,500 less a thousand dollars
for breeding rights...

- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] You had some $1,500

worth of expenses with regard to the
breeding of this dog,

which leaves you with a net profit
of almost $8,000, okay?

- That's not bad, right?
- No, it's not.

[Judge Judy] And if you deduct
the $2,000 that you paid for the dog,

you've come up with a nice net figure.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] My question is,

there were some discussion
in the paperwork

and you say that
you have a male dog at home

that you believe probably
is a Bull Terrier.

You paid $400 for it
so I kind of doubt it.

But that male dog is not neutered.
Is it now?

He was going to be now
after this whole situation.

[Judge Judy] Well, that was a
shoulda, woulda, coulda, this has

- been going on for a long time.
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

- This is April, May, June, it...
- Two years.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] It...it's been going on

for a long time,
so I took 'em a long time to,

to get brains that you don't
if you have no intention

of breeding a dog
which doesn't have an AKC bloodline,

and if you, as you said in the
beginning, wanted

- to bring something to the breed.
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

You don't bring something to the breed

by allowing a situation to exist
in your home

where there could be an accident.

[Taylor] Yes, ma'am. I, I...

- Okay.
- [Taylor] ...totally agree.

But I did wanna show you that I did
tell PJ at first when we were talking

about breeding and everything,
that we had no intention of breeding

and we would get her spayed
before we got him fixed,

as well as she came back
and asked if we would stud him.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
Now I'm listening to you.

So you have no further

intention of breeding Adora?

No, I was gonna breed her one more
time, just not with our male.

- [Judge Judy] That's a problem.
- Okay.

I don't have to.
I just want her to be my pet.

[Judge Judy] Fine.

If you just want her to be your pet,
and you just want to own her,

then that seems to be,
even for the defendant,

a perfectly logical and obvious choice.

You have her neutered and she will
consent

to removing her name as co-owner,

- is that right?
- Yeah, I told her I'd paid fully...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- ...to put it back in her name.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.
If that's what you're telling me,

that's what you want,
you want this dog in your name,

you want to own her completely

without any issue with the defendant?

- Yes. I wanted to be...
- [Judge Judy] Great.

...able to show her and that was it.

Just a sec. Well, you can't show her
if she's fixed.

[Taylor] I know. That's why I have
[indistinct] though.

[Judge Judy] You know, I know a
little bit...I know a little bit

about...

- just a little bit about that.
- Yes, Ma'am, I know.

Okay. So if you tell me,

this is very easily resolved.

- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] That at this time

you're telling me that you would
rather have her as a pet,

she's part of your family
and you will have her neutered?

And then the defendant
will turn over her papers to you.

She is your dog for all purposes.

You can take her.
You can show her around

wherever you wanna show her
where they allow

neutered dogs to be shown.

If you're smart,
you'll have your dog neutered,

you don't have...there's no reason
for him to be not neutered.

And if that's what you agreed to do,
in what you're gonna show me,

I don't see that we have
any problem here.

Well, that's not
what I was gonna show you.

- What I...what I was trying to say...
- [Judge Judy] But what, what...

...is just at the end of the day,
I just want my dog,

but I wanted to be able to show her,
I wanted to be able to breed her.

You can't have that
without the agreement with her.

- That was your original contract...
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] ...with her,
that she co-owns the dog.

You want the dog? That's the contract.

That's gonna stay put,
or you want the dog

all for yourself and you have nothing
to do with the defendant anymore.

And then I will create that order
that makes it clear that Adora

will be spayed and not used for
breeding purposes and the dog at

that point, when proof of neutering
is shown to the defendant,

she is ordered to return
all the papers to you,

any documents and,
and provide any documents

to the AKC which indicate
that she has any interest in the dog.

Okay. I still wanna breed her and
show her.

You know, you can't have it both
says. You say to her "I don't have

an intention of breeding her or
showing her and I just want her,

she's part of the family."
I'm prepared to do that for you.

If you don't wanna do that,

then you're not gonna be able
to breed her.

Right now, she's in the same kind
of situation she was before.

She was sold to you with a certain
agreement and you can't

- breach that agreement.
- [Taylor] Uh-hmm.

I'm not going to certainly rewrite
the contract.

- No, I didn't expect you to.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. What?

[PJ] There's a part that says
if both parties agree to not have

another litter, she must be spayed
within four months.

And we had both agreed at one point
we're done breeding.

[Judge Judy] Well, she evidently
hasn't made that agreement.

[PJ] Right. I want the dog fixed.
End of...

[Judge Judy] Well, I can't do that.
I mean,

I don't have the equipment here.

- [PJ] Right. So the only thing I...
- But...

I wish. The only...the only thing
I was able to do was...

[Judge Judy] [chuckles] I would...I
would if I...believe me...

I would if I could but I can't. So...

[PJ] The only thing I could do is put
the AKC papers into my name

to encourage her to spay her,
so hopefully no more future puppies

- would be created.
- [Judge Judy] I'm not creating any

order that assists her. Do you understand?

- [PJ] Uh-hmm.
- Right now, what exists

is an order that says she can't
really breed the dog because

she's not gonna be able to sell the
puppies for 2,500 or $3,000 apiece.

She may breed the dog but you have
to sell the puppies for $400 apiece

and if... what it costs her to breed
the dog with vet bills and

everything else, and she's only gonna get

$400 a puppy, that's an awful

lot of trouble to go through to wind
up with a net-net amount of money.

Right. So because I'm not getting
the dog back,

that's why I was doing the counter...
the counterclaim.

[Judge Judy] You're not.
You fixed the problem.

You did that on your own.

Your choice, wanna have the dog neutered?

- She gives you the dog.
- Okay.

- [Judge Judy] You got it?
- [Taylor] Yes.

- Perfect. We're done here.
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.

I mean, at the end of the day, I'm
happy that Adora

is coming home with me.

I try to be an ethical breeder and
these dogs are my lifelong problem.

She wanted more money,
that's what it was.

It's my duty to protect them
until they die.

[Judge Judy] You know it's interesting?

The defendant in that case
was really interested in the breed

and she was an experienced breeder.

There's no question that the plaintiff and

her husband were just...

- Getting into it.
- And you may...

- It's not just a hobby.
- Yeah.

You have to...it's not just a hobby.
You have to make sure you have

the proper home and the proper papers,

the proper bloodline.

And, and everything. Because what
the plaintiff said was, she got

interested in breeding because she
wants to enhance the breed.

Well, I think that if you're going
to breed AKC animals,

you have to...it has to be
more than just a...

- [Sarah] Hobby.
- Just a hobby.

And I, I say that having experienced
it once and being foolish...

once, it has to be more than just a
hobby.

You really have to be smart and
committed to do that.

- Dedicated.
- Right.

[announcer] Want justice?


[theme music playing]