Posted on 12/19/2016 11:03:55 AM PST by nickcarraway
Dog custody dispute dismissed as ‘wasteful,’ ‘demeaning’ use of court time
In a ruling that references butter knives, euthanasia and cats named Slimey and Oinky, a Saskatoon judge made an impassioned defence of the notion that, when it comes to the law, dogs should not be treated as though they were children.
The Court of Queen's Bench judge made his case in a written decision about a dispute between a divorcing Saskatoon couple who disagreed about where their dogs Kenya and Willow (sometimes "Willy") should live.
"Dogs are wonderful creatures," wrote Justice Richard Danyliuk in the first sentence of his 15-page decision in August.
"Many dogs are treated as members of the family with whom they live. But after all is said and done, a dog is a dog. At law it is property, a domesticated animal that is owned. At law it enjoys no familial rights."
Child custody ... for dogs?
The wife wanted the case treated as a child custody dispute. She argued she should keep Kenya and Willow and offer visitation rights to her estranged husband.
Danyliuk rejected that request.
The judge ruled that dogs are property and should not be treated as children. He said that should be obvious to all based on a bit of logical, dispassionate thought:
"In Canada, we tend not to purchase our children from breeders. "We tend not to breed our children with other humans to ensure good bloodlines, nor do we charge for such services. "When our children are seriously ill, we generally do not engage in an economic cost/benefit analysis to see whether the children are to receive medical treatment, receive nothing or even have their lives ended to prevent suffering. "When our children act improperly, even seriously and violently so, we generally do not muzzle them or even put them to death for repeated transgressions." Danyliuk said given dogs are property and not family, it would be absurd for him to make a ruling about visitation rights.
"Am I to make an order that one party have interim possession of [for example] the family butter knives but, due to a deep attachment to both butter and those knives, order that the other party have limited access to those knives for 1.5 hours per week to butter his or her toast?"
Danyliuk acknowledged that dogs aren't quite like other possessions in that "statutory protection for pets exists to prevent them from being treated with cruelty or neglect."
'Wasteful' use of court resources
The judge said this sort of case should not be chewing up precious court time "in a justice system that is incredibly busy, where delay has virtually become systemic."
"To consume scarce judicial resources with this matter is wasteful. In my view such applications should be discouraged," he added.
Richard Danyliuk Justice Richard Danyliuk, who used to be a Saskatoon lawyer, says this dog custody case was a waste of the court's time. (CBC News)
Danyliuk had to wade through detailed submissions from the couple, which also regaled the court with the intricacies of how the husband acquired their four cats.
The judge wrote: "[The wife] says that [the husband] was a cat person. [The husband] owned a cat named Rodent when they moved in together.
"Rodent died, and [he] subsequently bought another cat which he named Slimey.
"Later, wanting Slimey to have a playmate, [he] bought another cat which he named Oinky.
"Later still, there was another cat, Beaker.
"When [the husband] and [wife] bought their first residence together, Slimey and Oinky came along.
"[The wife] suggests that [her husband] was improperly inattentive to the cats during the relationship. For present purposes, that information is not particularly helpful."
As with many claims in this case, the wife's characterization of her estranged husband's behaviour doesn't match his version. Danyliuk felt that was something the court couldn't resolve.
More than that, he found this exercise "demeaning for the court and legal counsel to have these parties call upon these legal and court resources because they are unable to settle, what most would agree, is an issue unworthy of this expenditure of time, money and public resources."
Judge warns the couple
Danyliuk warned if the couple continues to pursue this matter in court it may not end well.
"Both parties should bear in mind that if the court cannot reach a decision on where the dogs go, it is open to the court under the legislation to order them sold and the proceeds split — something I am sure neither party wants."
Danyliuk decided the dogs should continue to stay with the wife at her parents' house for the time being, until the divorce was finally settled.
The couple's relationship to the dogs isn't entirely fraught with conflict, as demonstrated by their treatment of their third dog, Quill. He is old, ill and not expected to live much longer.
"It is one of life's cruel twists that dogs are such noble beings yet enjoy such a short life span," wrote Danyliuk.
"Thankfully, there is no contest between the parties that Quill is to remain with [the wife] to be cared for in this final time on Earth."
nc, there is a serious disconnect between your title about the Manitoba Premier in Costa Rica and the actual posted article which is about a dog custody dispute in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
I asked them to correct it.
I’m guessing you posted the headline from one story and the body from another. Unless Manitoba’s premier is Slimey the Cat.
LOL. You beat me to it.
Glad you mentioned you asked to have this fixed. Thought I had a mild stroke there for a bit.
He can hang out with Charlie Rangel.
This judge sounds like a reasonable person.
We could use more than a few like this down here in God’s country.
If you lived in Saskatoon you’d want to spend January and February in Costa Rica too.
Send the dogs to Costa Rica with Premier Pallister for the winter and leave the bickering spouses to freeze up here. Win-win!
ok, they are not people, but they aren’t toasters.
they are living creatures, like all our pets, and they have unique personalities (or animalities)
and almost all who decide to have pets and love them, they are non-human members of the family.
the judge’s attitude can suck it.
If we have laws against animal cruelty and judges are ruling pets as mere property, should there be anti-cruelty laws against toasters? Obviously pets are recognized as more than mere property and there is worth in love, attachment, loyalty, and responsible care-giving.
I’ve watched “Corner Gas”, set in Saskatchewan. I don’t remember all that many “Winter” epis. Not that I’m an expert, but I’m guessing it’s more of a production convenience.
“In Canada, we tend not to purchase our children from breeders. “
Tend not???? It should be totally illegal to buy and sell children. But, of course, “homosexual marriage” and sperm banks sets up this system so we have to destroy biological connection of parent/child. It is evil and should be unconstitutional since it is dehumanizing.
There are Natural Rights embedded into our system of “Justice” which only can promote Natural Duties (virtue). Setting up an evil structure which denies the Natural Rigths of babies to be born and raised by their own biological parents is not only irrational (unconstitutional) and denies the Natural Duties of parents (unconstitutional) and the Rights of babies (unconstitutional)——it is evil and dehumanizing to babies, since it treats human life as an object to buy and sell. (slavery, which is proven unconstitutional).
Just use Solomon’s method and threaten to cut the dog in two and give each spouse half.
Finally, some sanity.
I understand people’s attachments to pets, but they are animals.
“I love my Grandpoodle”. Actual bumper sticker seen on the PA turnpike.
God help us.
We took chinese takeout to a friend with a broken foot who can’t get out. Her husband is one of my best friends and he seems smitten with the new dog more than his kids.
The dog has him trained perfectly and knows with certainty how to extract treats.
At 76, he was doting on the corgipoo
That’s pretty much what he did when he said he could order the dogs sold and the proceeds divided.
About 15 years ago I tried the case of the 13 yorkies. This couple was nuts. They had spent over $80K on fertility treatment to produce one child. They agreed on the parenting plan for the kid.
But, there were 13 yorkies.... bred and trained for agility. And the fight was on. I was paid in advance (do you think I’m nuts?) to represent one of the parties. The poor judge had to listen to 6 hours of them telling her how awful the other dog owner was. At the end she simply said that the dogs were property and that since they were purebred each was to go to the party who had legal title. I think the husband got 8 and the wife got the rest.
Afterwards I went back and asked the judge whether she had seen the movie “Best of Show.” She cracked up. She told me she had also had to try a horse custody case.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.