BOSTON -- Worcester police arrested and charged a woman with larceny Tuesday night after she allegedly dognapped a golden retriever named "Dux" that she and her son and daughter-in-law have been fighting over.
Margareta Doughty, 61, of Ocean View, Hawaii, was arrested at her attorney's office after she took the dog from her son's Medway home and drove to New York's JFK Airport to catch a flight back to Hawaii, the MetroWest Daily News reported.
Police there detained and questioned her but let her go, saying the dispute was a civil and not a criminal matter. She returned to Massachusetts then, where she was arrested.
The dog was returned to her son, Tyson, and his wife, Melanie, at their Medway home.
The dispute over the dog's ownership came to a head when Doughty, a breeder, sued her son and daughter-in-law in November 2006 over breeding rights and the dog's ownership.
They had jointly owned Dux, the paper said. The dog, a 6-year-old male, first lived with Margareta Doughty in Hawaii but was sent to Medway three years ago because the dog had severe allergies, Melanie Doughty said.
According to the newspaper, the trio reached a court settlement last month that allowed Margareta Doughty to visit Massachusetts for seven days and take Dux between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day to a Framingham veterinary hospital for a DNA sample and pre-freezing semen evaluation, Melanie Doughty said.
Melanie and Tyson Doughty would then bring Dux back to the hospital within 40 days for sperm collection, which they would freeze and store.
Afterward, Margareta Doughty would give up her ownership rights to Dux, and Melanie and Tyson Doughty would cede theirs to Dux's sperm and offspring, the settlement said.
When Margareta Doughty didn't return Sunday, her son and daughter-in-law called police. She was scheduled to face arraignment in Wrentham District Court Wednesday.
Woman Arrested After Alleged Dognapping - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston
Margareta Doughty, 61, of Ocean View, Hawaii, was arrested at her attorney's office after she took the dog from her son's Medway home and drove to New York's JFK Airport to catch a flight back to Hawaii, the MetroWest Daily News reported.
Police there detained and questioned her but let her go, saying the dispute was a civil and not a criminal matter. She returned to Massachusetts then, where she was arrested.
The dog was returned to her son, Tyson, and his wife, Melanie, at their Medway home.
The dispute over the dog's ownership came to a head when Doughty, a breeder, sued her son and daughter-in-law in November 2006 over breeding rights and the dog's ownership.
They had jointly owned Dux, the paper said. The dog, a 6-year-old male, first lived with Margareta Doughty in Hawaii but was sent to Medway three years ago because the dog had severe allergies, Melanie Doughty said.
According to the newspaper, the trio reached a court settlement last month that allowed Margareta Doughty to visit Massachusetts for seven days and take Dux between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day to a Framingham veterinary hospital for a DNA sample and pre-freezing semen evaluation, Melanie Doughty said.
Melanie and Tyson Doughty would then bring Dux back to the hospital within 40 days for sperm collection, which they would freeze and store.
Afterward, Margareta Doughty would give up her ownership rights to Dux, and Melanie and Tyson Doughty would cede theirs to Dux's sperm and offspring, the settlement said.
When Margareta Doughty didn't return Sunday, her son and daughter-in-law called police. She was scheduled to face arraignment in Wrentham District Court Wednesday.
Woman Arrested After Alleged Dognapping - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston
