You want a treat give me a PO good board Rocco Jr is more than just a dog to Alicia Verma she says he’s her source of emotional support he’s my family he’s my friend he’s you know he’s a he’s he’s my child and I know that some people say
He’s just a dog but to me he’s my entire world and that’s why I’ve been fighting so much for him and so hard for him fighting because Rocco Jr has been at the center of a legal battle between Verma and the family of verma’s late boyfriend when Leonard carvalo died in
November 2022 Verma took Rocco but carvallo’s sisters took her to court saying the dog was part of their brother’s estate and was meant to go to them as beneficiaries the sister’s lawyer says Rocco Jr was a beloved member of the family and also as I indicated um the last living thing
Connected to their light brother so they loved the dog um and wanted him back last week a judge ruled in favor of the sisters saying Rocco Jr was owned by Mr carvalo at the time of his death and that Verma must arrange for Rocco Jr to be returned to the applicant by Friday
March 15th a decision Verma says she’s still struggling to process you know like I said the day Leonard pass was the worst day of my life but this this was it came pretty close um I remember pinching myself I’m like this a night man like that’s actually
What happened at the heart of the case was the question of ownership with verma’s lawyers saying there’s evidence the dog was purchased as a gift for Verma and that the couple lived together and cared for the dog together the family presented a different view saying the couple did not live together and
That the dog belonged solely to the lake carvalo and should be part of his estate just like all his other belongings verma’s lawyer says it’s been a contentious and complex case there’s so many people people involved giving their perception of what happened and evidence
Of what they saw um I think that that is part of what makes it so challenging Miranda daa argues this case is a sign that it’s time for Ontario law to evolve so that pets aren’t viewed solely as property I think one thing that we’ve really seen in this case is how many
People have become interested and invested in the story because most people I think that I’ve heard from they they don’t view their F their pets the same as a table or a chair they view their pets as a member of the family Verma has started a petition to change
Ontario laws so that pets are not considered property custody law related to pets is evolving in some parts of the country in January changes to family law came into effect in BC differentiating companion animals from other property now those changes affect pet custody decisions during divorces or separations
With courts now considering a variety of factors including relationships with children and a family as well as risk of animal cruelty daa points to the BC law as evidence of changing public opinion and hopes that there could be legal changes here in Ontario though the lawyer for the family points out Rocco
Jr will go to a good home no matter what there was no suggestion that the dog would be less loved or less cared for by any of the parties Verma and her lawyers say their fight for Roco Jr is not over he’s my been my biggest support since um everything
Happened you know he gave me a reason to wake up in the morning he you know I I owe him so much they’re appealing the decision and have filed a motion to stay the Handover order so that Verma can keep Rocco while an appeal is underway arguing that separating them would cause Verma
Irreparable emotional harm Sarah McMillan B BC News Toronto
A Toronto woman has been fighting to keep two-year-old American Bull Terrier, Rocco Jr., after her boyfriend died more than a year ago. She maintains Rocco was a gift and is needed as a support animal, but an Ontario judge ruled last month the dog belongs to her former partner’s estate, which was left to his family. As CBC’s Sarah MacMillan explains, it’s highlighting how the law treats pets in estate battles.
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Let the dog choose his future.
This is a billion dollars worth of news from the CBC
After reading the court documents, you understand that she is a fraud, her lawyer is using her to try to change the law, she should never be able to keep stolen property, the dog was stolen from his dad's backyard, do your research people and stop enabling scammer to raise money
What's best for the dog should be priority
I would to see the other family story about it..
I thought Pitbulls are banned?
Joint Custody?
Was he a gift? Did they live together? What's best for the dog?
This is a banned pit bull. It should’t even be in the province. This is failure of the court not enforce or acknowledge and failure by CBC to not have done their research on this breed
She should be able to keep the dog . She became a pet parent ; gift or not . Using the will and estate law as the reason the sisters get the property ? the dog is disgusting
Youve got to be kidding me. Humanity has officially lost it.