QUESTIONS & ANSWERS - Page 1

Hi can anyone answer me this please. What is entailed in co-owning a dog?

Lots of headaches! Save up your money and own 100%.

What is entailed - A headache is a good answer. lol Ssshhh.........Boom Bang a Bang...

Ok so a lot of headaches,why not try and detail those headaches for me as i asked what is entailed in co-owning.This is a serious question & all i get is that,thanks for the help guys!!!!

Have you not noticed most dog breeders/trainers have different ideals on training and breeding etc.. Hard to find a co-owner you will be able to work with and satisfy both parties. Once the deal is made usually the one with the dog starts doing things their way and the fight is on.............Now you can ask for the multiple specific reasons people get the "headaches". 1. Your bitch gets "accidently" bred to a male you dis-approve of. 2. One party does not train or show the dog as agreed. ..........the list goes on and on............

Hi MattL, With all the best intentions your question can only be answered by another question, "How long is a piece of string?" In other words there is no answer to your question. Whatever your partnership entails is entirely up to what you and your co-owner decide should be included and agree on. Then as Desert Rangers so rightly pointed out, the best laid plans of mice and men rarely come to pass. Inevitably there will be a headache somewhere down the line, whether you can make the co-ownership work or not depends on how good you both are at coping with headaches, how good you both are at learning to compromise and if all else fails, how good you both are at walking away from the co-ownership whilst still remaining friends. All the Best Sue B

As far as what is involved with co-owning a dog, the initial step is simple. You merely complete the information on the back of your dog's A.K.C. (assumed) registration certificate and send it to them with the required fee. Past that end is where the issues begin. Would you be co-owning it with a breeder, and what is the breeder's intent/requirements? What is your intent and requirements? Would you be co-owning it with another person who is bust an equal partner in the dog? Can both of you agree 100% to negotiate something agreeable? Who, and to what extent accepts the cost of care, feeding, training, and liability for the dog? Matti, I don't think that anyone here wishes to come across as a smart Aleck or a smart Alice. It's just that many of us have done this one (1) time and would never do it again. If you choose to co-own then I wish you the best of success. Good Luck, Bob-O

The most important thing in co-ownership is honesty. But just like any other venture, there are risks involved. I have successful co-ownerships with people and as long as there is a mutual respect and full upforont declaration, things work out. The biggest cause for a failure in a co-own is lack of communication. (And, it takes 2 to communicate). Terms of the co-ownership must be understandable and convinient for both parties. Some involve upfront money and then training,showing, titling and breeding expenses are split on a predetermined ratio. Others involve no upfront cash and that is worked out a little differently. If you have any further questions, let me know. willia05@aol.com

One thing I would like to throw in about co-ownership is that make sure everything is in writing--even the most simple things--make sure you are in the same state that way if you have to go to court it's a lot easier. I co owned with someone several states away and I got the biggest screwing I have ever had. I now co own several dogs with someone who has not only turned out to be a friend but also a mentor. We live within 2 hours of each other and EVERYTHING is in writing. And I never thought I would co own again. But if you can work it out it is really better to 100% own your dogs.................

There is a side to this that no one has mentioned yet. If you co-cown, you ar co-responsible for ANYTHING that dog does, even though it is not in your possession. If you live in a 'sue happy state' (and most are like that now) anyone on the papers can be sued if "Max' bumps "Susie" and she falls down, thus her family wants to retire early on your dime, you are responsible for the "mean dog attack". Dogs don't even have to bite in most states to be deemed 'dangerous'. I don't want to be the "deep pocket" (even though my pockets are rather shallow!) for any one else, especially when I don't even have the dog under my own control and posession! (Jackie Athon)