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ANIMAL INJURIES
OR DEATH
Our companion and service animals often become a
member of the family. When they are injured or die
under troubling circumstances it is important not to
settle for less than the full value of the injury or
the animal. Contact an animal lawyer before pursuing
any settlement negotiations with an insurance
company or the other person involved. Get the full
value of any loss to you.
CUSTODY DISPUTES
Is your ex withholding possession of your animal
companion? If you have lost custody of your beloved
animal companion,
Consult with Ms. Elliott to help you regain
possession or fight for your rights to visitation.
Are you in the midst of a divorce? Are you preparing
to marry? Are you in a long-term committed
relationship? Do you jointly own an animal with
another individual? Protect your rights to custody
and visitation with your companion animals. Contact
an animal law attorney to draft a prenuptial
agreement, postnuptial agreement, a separation
agreement, or to review a divorce decree.
“DOGNAPPING" OR "PET-NAPPING”
Did you give your animal companion to a friend or
acquaintance on a temporary basis? Did that person
violate your trust? Is that person now refusing to
restore possession to you? Has someone wrongfully
taken or stolen your animal companion? Is a private
party accusing your of neglect, to prevent you from
regaining custody of your pet?
Contact The Animal Law Office of Elizabeth L.
Elliott to file a lawsuit and seek an order
immediately restoring possession to you.
SERVICE
ANIMAL DISCRIMINATION
Have you been denied access to a grocery store,
restaurant, or shopping mall due to the presence of
your service animal? Have you been told that your
service dog could not ride a bus or taxi with you?
Have you been put in a room separate from other
employees because of your service dog? Have you been
denied employment or a promotion due to your need
for a service animal? This is a violation of
the
Washington State Law Against Discrimination and
the
Americans With Disabilities Act.
Call or email Ms. Elliott to pursue a civil
action and assist you in standing up for your
rights.
CITATIONS, INFRACTIONS AND ADMINSTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS
Did you get a knock on the door from animal control?
Have you received notice of an offleash violation or
nuisance dog complaint? Did your dog run off of your
property and go barking toward a neighbor? Has this
resulted in your dog being labeled as “potentially
dangerous”, “dangerous”, or “vicious”? Has your dog
been impounded? Do you want to challenge the
citation issued to you by animal control? The laws
vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some cities
are more lenient than others.
Contact an animal law attorney to regain
possession of your dog; to protect your dog from
possible euthanization or impoundment; and to appeal
any citations.
DANGEROUS DOGS, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOGS DOG BITES
Did you get a knock on the door from animal control?
Did your dog bite a neighbor? Did your dog attack
another dog? Has this resulted in your dog being
labeled as “potentially dangerous”, “dangerous”, or
“vicious”? Has your dog been impounded? Do you want
to challenge the citation issued to you by animal
control? The laws vary from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction. Some cities are more lenient than
others.
Contact an animal law attorney to regain
possession of your dog; to protect your dog from
possible euthanization or impoundment; and to appeal
any citations.
CONTRACT REVIEW
Do you have a contract that you believe has been
breached by an opposing party? Have you been
presented with a contract, but are unsure whether or
not you should sign it? Ms. Elliott frequently
reviews contracts such as purchase and sale
agreements, breeding contracts, boarding contracts,
and release agreements. If you need to have a
contract reviewed, contact the Law Office of
Elizabeth L. Elliott.
DEMAND LETTERS
A demand letter demands that the recipient
satisfy a legal duty, such as performing a contract
term, returning possession of an animal or
compensating you for the death of your animal
companion. It gives the other party the opportunity
to cure a problem without resorting to a legal
action. Sometimes, a demand letter is even
required prior to filing a lawsuit. Lori Elliott
writes demand letters on a FLAT FEE basis.
Call or email her to write a demand letter for you.
PET TRUSTS, WILLS, AND ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS
In a recent study, 73 % of dog owners and 65 % of
cat owners consider their companion animals to be
like their children or family members. Many people
would like to provide for their animals in their
wills. Historically animals were treated as
property. As property, they could not be the
beneficiary of a will or trust. That has changed.
The Revised Code of Washington allows a trust to be
established for the benefit of a pet. Certain
requirements must be followed for the trust to be
effective. If you are interested in having a trust
drafted to benefit your companion animals,
contact Laurie Elliott. She will prepare a
standard pet trust for you for a FLAT FEE.
Get the peace of mind of knowing that your animals
will be taken care of in the event that something
happens to you. If you are in need of additional
estate planning documents, Ms. Elliott can prepare
them for you.
ANIMAL CRUELTY
Have you observed an animal in a state of injury,
starvation by neglect, victimization by physical
abuse or torture? What can you do? Report it to the
police and to animal control.
Historically, the majority of these cases were not prosecuted, but more
and more are being brought to trial. Penalties have
also increased for these types of crimes. If you do
not report them, nothing will happen to the abuser.
Has your animal been abused or injured in an act of
animal cruelty?
Contact The Animal Law Office of Elizabeth L.
Elliott to evaluate your situation
and possibly pursue a civil lawsuit against the
perpetrator.
ANIMAL CRUELTY & DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
Household pets, Children, and Battered spouses all have one thing in
common - they are DEFENSELESS. If an abuser hits
one, he or she will likely not hesitate to hit
another. A high percentage of victims of domestic
violence report incidents of animal abuse. In fact,
abuse of a companion animal is a type of domestic
violence. It can take many forms including forcing
the victim to commit an act of violence upon their
own beloved companion animal. Additionally, victims
of domestic violence frequently remain in an abusive
situation for fear of what will happen to their
companion animals.
Talk to an animal lawyer to pursue protective
orders that
(1) restrain an abuser from further committing further acts of domestic
violence; (2) excludes the abuser from the home;
and/or prohibit harassment and stalking; (3)
possibly obtain a protective order that specifically
protects your pets.
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