Who Owns the Dog?

A family-law dispute about the rights to a dog (considered personal property under the relevant Texas law) provides a good example of legal-sufficiency review:

Barlow asserts that because the AKC Canine Partners Certificate of Enrollment, the Certificate of Registry, the microchip registration, the pet profile at Petland and the Bill of Sale for the Canine show her as the “owner,” as a matter of law, she is the sole owner of the Canine. Barlow does not cite any authority directly on point here, and we have found none. We conclude that this documentary evidence is some evidence of ownership, but it is not conclusive and does not automatically preclude ownership by another.

…

Other evidence established the Canine was purchased on June 10, 2019, at Petland. Barlow was working at Petland at that time. With Barlow’s employee discount, the purchase price for the Canine was $1,100. Richardson contributed $500 towards the purchase price. While Barlow claimed Richardson gave her the $500 as a gift, which she later offered to repay, Richardson claimed she made the payment in accordance with the parties’ joint decision to purchase the Canine. The evidence showed that while the parties were in a dating relationship, they each had possession of the Canine at various times and Richardson was primarily involved in taking the Canine to the veterinarian and provided considerable financial support of same. While Barlow characterized this arrangement and Richardson’s possession as dog sitting, Richardson claimed her possession was that of a joint owner and evidence of her ownership interest. While there was conflicting evidence on the ownership of the Canine, the trial court was the final arbiter of the credibility of the witnesses, and its determination regarding ownership of the Canine is supported by the evidence.

Barlow v. Richardson, No. 05-21-00844-CV (Jan. 17, 2023) (mem. op.).