My dog was given away without my permission

[Dogless_in_Toronto]

After a bad breakup 4 months ago, my ex-girlfriend kept our dog. She originally purchased the dog, but seeing as we lived together for most of the time we owned this dog (approx 1 year), and I spent far more time with the dog than she did, it was in fact OUR dog - she has so admitted in an e-mail to me. I assumed the dog would stay with her after our breakup so I did not fight for the dog and accepted that she keep it.

I found out today that at some point in the last 4 months she gave the dog away, to a Humane Society-type agency, without notifying me or offering to return it to me before giving the dog away.

What are my legal recourses to re-obtaining this dog? Clearly, it has been adopted by another family already.

This took place in Vancouver, Canada.

You could try to sue them to get it back. It is possible you would win. You could argue she had no right to give it away--the dog is your too.

or just find out where the dog is and ask to get it back.