Can I make my neighbors pay the vet bill to have my dog spayed, if their dog impregnated her?
Can I make my neighbors pay the vet bill to have my dog spayed, if their dog impregnated her? General Dog Discussions
We have an in-ground pet fence on our 2 acre yard. My beagle is an indoor/outdoor dog and is allowed to come and go as she pleases, but she does not leave our yard. When she started to come in heat I began taking her out on a leash and keeping her indoors. My neighbors have a male poodle that they "thought" had been neutered. When my beagle came in heat, he started hanging around my yard. (That's when I noticed that he deffinately had NOT been neutered!) I walked over to the neighbors and explained that my dog was in heat and politely asked them to keep their dog in their own yard for the next few weeks to avoid any problems. I had a gorgeous litter of pups out of my beagle last year and had planned on having 1 more litter next year before having her spayed. The neighbors agreed and were very nice and understanding. I tied my dog out for approx. 20 minutes each morning while I was getting my 3 children ready for school and brought her in before I left to take them to school. One morning when I went out to bring my dog in, she was tied to the neighbors poodle. I called the vet as soon as they opened to ask if there was anything they could give her to abort a possible unintentional litter. They told me that due to the riskiness of the shots, they do not offer them and the only option was to let her have the litter or have her spayed. In order to avoid having unwanted puppies with possible complications and then hoping to find them loving homes......we chose to have her spayed. I took pictures of the dogs being tied so that I could prove it was their dog and the vets office verified that she was, in fact, pregnant when they did the surgery. Due to her being pregnant, the bill was increased by $100!Do I have any legal rights to make my neighbors pay the vet bill? When I confronted them about it they laughed at me and told me that if my dog would have been inside it never would have happened, and that it was MY fault for not watching MY dog in MY yard! Is this something I would have to take to small claims?Thanks in advance for any help or ideas.Wow, so many judgmental and quick to assume people that are so willing to pass their judgment on to others without knowing any details! I didn't ask if my dog was of the proper conformation, the right registry, or any questions regarding the intentional breeding of her. Thank you for your concern for my dog, however, I will allow my vet and her trainer to pass judgment on whether or not she should produce puppies and what their quality will be! (But for the curious.....my dog is OFA certified (hips, eyes, cardiac, & thyroid), AKC & AKC registered....we do not do the show circuits with her because she is a hunting dog, so we do AKC field trials instead...I know where EVERY SINGLE PUPPY IS, the new owners signed paperwork in their puppy packets which had a "no shelter agreement" and I have a commitment to every owner that should they ever want/need to get rid of their beagle, I will gladly take them back without a fee and find them a new home! Every puppy was vetted 3Wow, so many judgmental and quick to assume people that are so willing to pass their judgment on to others without knowing any details! I didn't ask if my dog was of the proper conformation, the right registry, or any questions regarding the intentional breeding of her. Thank you for your concern for my dog, however, I will allow my vet and her trainer to pass judgment on whether or not she should produce puppies and what their quality will be! (But for the curious.....my dog is OFA certified (hips, eyes, cardiac, & thyroid), AKC & AKC registered....we do not do the show circuits with her because she is a hunting dog, so we do AKC field trials instead...I know where EVERY SINGLE PUPPY IS, the new owners signed paperwork in their puppy packets which had a "no shelter agreement" and I have a commitment to every owner that should they ever want/need to get rid of their beagle, I will gladly take them back without a fee and find them a new home! Every puppy was vetted 3