Location: Washington State
My sister adopted a dog after she moved in with her (at the time) boyfriend. As far as I know, there are no official adoption papers or anything, she just got the dog from a family who was re-homing her. It has always been clear between them that this dog is my sister's. She even goes with my sister when she visits home.
My sister doesn't have a job, she took care of both her dog and her ex's dog while he worked. He has paid all the vet bills, except for her latest appointment (occurred after the break-up), which he has asked her to pay half of. My sister registered the dog in her name in the city they reside in, but this was done recently.
Her ex is trying to get her to sign a contract to agree to split custody. My sister doesn't want to remain in contact with her ex, nor entrust him with her dog because he has a history of neglecting his animals. Additionally, his dog is extremely ill-behaved and violent, and is bigger than my sister's dog. My sister also fears that he will take her dog and not give her back, and that she will have no recourse.
My question is, if she moves back home and takes her dog with her, is she risking any legal trouble? Is the dog his in the eyes of the law? He has threatened to take her to court over this. Thank you for any advice.