Stolen Pekinese Dog

What is the name of your state? Washington State: I had a Pekinese Dog (puppy then) taken off my property about nine months ago. I did everything humanly possible to try and find her. It took me 5mos. to find her and only a couple houses away! It took me awhile to figure out why did it take me so long to find her when she was so close. Come to find out these people go to Alaska and work and are gone for months at a time, but leave her here in their house and have someone come in and feed her. Anyway these people won't do the right thing and give her back and say she is their dog.I 've been very civil to these people and even offered them two hundred dollars cash if they would allowed me to do a dna testing and they could keep the money no matter what the results. If she proved to be my dog (which she is) I'd even give them a puppy to replace her and one they could have registered. All I care about is that I just want my dog back.They refused and said if I said anything more to them I could be arrested for harrashment, which is true. The third time I went to the police about my dog he said the same and that I couldn't go before a judge and request a "court order" for dna testing without proof of ownership. If I had the kind of proof they want I would'nt need a dna done. I have her paperwork and her fathers dna # and the breeder I bought her from owns both my dogs parents which doesn't seem to mean much. I know if I was wrong that they could sue me. Fine I don't care because I know she's my dog. How can it be allowed for someone to take your pet and if you say anything to them you will be the one arrested. I can prove it if dna is allowed and why in the world isn't it.There's got to be a answer for this problem. To me it's sending the message to thieves it's okay to steal as long as the thief says it's there's and should not be questioned about it at all. The third policeman also said all Pekinese dogs look the same and when I repeatly asked him to look at a picture of four dogs so he could see that no they don't all look just alike, he refused. If you can give me any advised at all I would apprieate it greatly. Thank you for your time

Don't listen to the police about not being able to go to court. Unless this is a very highly valued dog, file in small claims court.

Did you have the dog micro chiped before it was stolen? Otherwise small claims court is your option. Depending on the cost/value of the dog if you do prevail in small claims court then you would have the evidence to press criminal charges. Check in the RCW for the various levels of larceny as well as las relating to animals. Do you have your receipts from the breeder?

I'm sorry but, if you want the dog badly enough, I would disagree that Small Claims is your option. I suspect that it will be necessary to go to a higher court. If so, you can try it yourself or hire an attorney.

You'll have to look beyond state statutes to the Rules of Court for your state, and I could be wrong. But many, if not most, Small Claims courts don't allow for "discovery" and most, while rendering judgments for money, don't issue the types of Orders directing the return of property. You need both.

The easiest way to find out is to call your local Small Claims court yourself. It can and it's likely that it will tell you.

Getting DNA data requires discovery. For that matter, just requiring the neighbors to provide proof of purchase and registration and all of the dog's papers, that the average owner would have will, I suspect, necessitate more time and more extensive legal rights than you're likely to have in Small Claims.

But the police are not correct that you are completely foreclosed from seeking a judicial remedy. It depends on the one that you want.

And filing in a higher forum may be the incentive needed for your neighbors to be more receptive to your more informal proposals for resolution.