HomePeoplePetsHer Dog was Adopted without her Consent

Her Dog was Adopted without her Consent

Published on

This is an unusual tale. 

Margaret Bleakney of Ashland recently learned that her ex-boyfriend, Adam, had surrendered her beloved Boxer, Bam, to Baypath Humane Society to be adopted. Subsequently, five year old Bam was adopted a few weeks ago to an unidentified family.

Ms. Bleakney attempted to find out who the family was, but due to privacy concerns, Baypath would not release the information.

Bleakney and Adam had broken off their relationship in April 2022 and according to Bleakney had a “shared custody” arrangement with Bam, who lived primarily with Adam. But for reasons that are unclear, Adam elected to surrender Bam without offering Bleakney the option to take him in. 

For their part, Baypath followed their procedures, establishing that Adam was Bam’s owner. In a written statement, Executive Director Elizabeth Jefferis said “Baypath performs due diligence on the ownership and status of all animals before taking them in, and adopting them out, pursuant to its policies and procedures. I can confirm we performed our due diligence in this case.”

Ms. Bleakney has taken to social media in an attempt to locate the family that adopted Bam. Beyond convincing them to return Bam, it appears her options are limited.

Latest articles

Catch up with a briefing of the most important and interesting stories from Hopkinton delivered to your inbox.

42 COMMENTS

  1. One question: why would Adam do something so cruel? Seems revengeful to me. I would hope once he is found people who adopted him would see the love she has for him & return to Margaret. She is a friend & wonderful person.

  2. This is so stupid. I would take this down before this goes on Turtle Boy Sports. You are giving internet clout to a crazy person. I’m sure Baypath is getting spammed with a bunch of undeserved threatening phone calls because of this messed up situation. The fact that she even put Baypath’s name out there is so wrong. Baypath cares a lot about their animals. They go above and beyond to make sure their animals find good homes.

      • Just because she paid the bill doesn’t mean she’s the owner. Couples often split things like groceries, electric bills and other responsibilities.

        • I agree..It’s called “adulting”..but it’s very odd that Margaret can’t seem to grow up seeing how she still calls her father “daddy” .. some people just need the constant attention and will do anything to get it.

    • You must be Adam the ex that surrendered the dog. What a dumb comment. Baypath should give the info out, it’s her dog after all… Idiot

      • There are privacy laws that prohibit Baypath from sharing any information about an adopters location. Baypath did everything correctly when Bam was surrendered to them and Adam had all the proper paperwork to show that he was the dogs owner

        • Thank God there are privacy laws. I’d be fearful if I were the person/people/family that adopted this dog at this point. She’d be showing up on their doorstep!

    • No it’s not. he gave the dog away without her consent. it should go to turtle boy. Go away. bay path humane society should call the people to let them know what’s going on. You are so wrong I would expose them

  3. She should have kept the dog and ditched the boyfriend. It’s probably too late, but there are a lot of deserving animals that need a good home.

  4. So, I think this post has gotten a little out of control across all of Facebook so I need to respectfully fill in the facts that were so favorably left out of the story.
    He drove to Alabama with his father to purchase and rescue bam on his own. It was his dog in every aspect of ownership from the day of purchase.
    Margaret kicked Adam and bam to the curb with no where to live over a year ago when she said “I’m going out and you better not be here when I get back”. They haven’t dated in over a year and she hasn’t seen bam in over 6 months.
    This seems like someone who’s looking for attention because the one thing that connected her to a long time ex boyfriend is now gone.

    I’ve known adam for over 30 years, good friend, kind soul, and would help anyone. He doesn’t deserve this type of beratement. He did what’s best for bam by finding a loving Family for him. Again, they haven’t dated in over a year, why should he have given her the option after kicking him and bam to the curb

    • This statement is incorrect. Adam left and didn’t get kicked out. Margaret expressed several times that she wanted custody of the dog but settled for a joint arrangement. And the loser ex has made life difficult for this poor girl. You may be a friend to Adam but don’t support his actions. He could have returned the dog to Margaret but did this out of spite to hurt her.

      I hope she is able to get her dog back.

  5. Hi John, you keep posting the same false information about me. I have debunked your statements and have proof and text messages contradicting everything you have to say. If anyone wants that proof please message me on Facebook or Instagram. Bam is a child of divorce and Adam did a very cruel thing by not offering him to me before surrendering him. I just want Bam back so please keep it positive and about that end result. Thank you.

    • John Doe-you are truly a remarkable person and a true friend..you are exactly correct in the sequence of events because we live next door and have witnessed EVERYTHING first hand..Margaret and her father are unfriendly shut-in’s..also, why doesn’t anyone know that Margaret currently has FIVE dogs living at her residence?? and are they licensed?? Probably not..taking on a sixth dog would be tough on anyone and it might even be illegal..grow up and MOVE ON ALREADY!!

  6. This is irresponsible media. Vet records are not proof of ownership a purchase and sale from the breeder or adoption papers are. The law sees dogs as property.

    • Through one of his associates, we have invited the other party to furnish any documentation proving that he was the sole owner of the dog. If and when this happens we will correct the story.

      • @HopNews Staff That is ridiculous that you are requiring the ex boyfriend to give his testimony and “proof” to change this story. No one should be slandering Baypath Humane Society. If you really cared about dogs, you wouldn’t bring negative attention to a Shelter that places homeless dogs in new homes. Shame on you. I don’t know either party. I REALLY don’t care about the girl, the ex, or the dog. I think its sinful to bring negative attention to an animal shelter.

        • I agree with you. The real people being hurt here are Baypath, who never should’ve been named. The dog will be fine, Adam will move on, and so should Margaret. But what some people will remember is that Margaret CLAIMED a reputable shelter gave away “her” dog.
          #ImBehindBaypath

        • Just to set the record straight, HopNews and Baypath have an excellent working relationship and a high degree of mutual respect. We publish the Baypath Buddy column weekly, helping to connect dogs with new families. You might check out our pets section for yourself.
          https://hopnews.com/category/news/people/pets/

          Personally, our publisher and his family make donations of sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and other much needed items to Baypath at least twice per month.

          We have a tremendous amount of respect for Baypath and their mission, both professionally and personally.

  7. If Margaret truly JUST cared about getting Bam back she wouldn’t have name dropped the shelter and would put a stop to the SLANDERING of a perfectly good shelter.

    • Just to be clear, and with respect only to what is printed above and not Ms. Bleakney’s social media accounts, there is nothing factually inaccurate or slanderous in the article above. Baypath did adopt the dog out, and no one disputes that. Baypath did verify ownership of Bam; that is also not in dispute. Whether they had all the relevant facts in their possession at the time they verified ownership is a matter of dispute, but it is doubtful that they had anything but the best of intentions for Bam, and according to their Executive Director, they followed their procedures to the letter.

      • Your headline is misleading and click bait. “Her dog was adopted without her consent” implies that Baypath needed her consent to adopt the dog out, or somehow didn’t verify the dogs ownership. This is not the case as her name is not on the bill of sale or any contract of ownership. Whether she had an agreement with her ex boyfriend to right of first refusal is up for debate. Dogs are considered property, the minute he walked out the door with the dog he had the right to do with as he pleased regardless of the vet records being in her name.

        Baypath does not legally have rights to the dog any longer, he was adopted and is legally owned by his new family. If rescues released adopters names in situations like this nobody would want to adopt knowing someone could come knock on your door trying to take your adopted pet away.

        There are very clear cut laws and guidelines in MA for this reason.

        One may question what the reasons for the boyfriend surrendering the dog were, and why he would think Baypath would be better than the former Girlfriend. Is it spite ? Or something else ?

        When was the last date she saw the dog ?

        How often does she have overnight visitation with the dog?

        Is there a pattern of Vists since he moved out ?

        How was it decided who had ownership when they broke up ?

        Did she attempt to keep the dog at that time and he refused ?

        If he refused did she seek legal counsel at that time?

        There are a lot of questions that should be answered if you want to actually have a clear and unbiased report.

        To be clear, I do not know either parties and am not affiliated with Baypath Humane .

    • name dropping the shelter doesn’t really “slander” the shelter in any way though. it’s understandable why the shelter can’t give out the info, you don’t want someone going after a family that has nothing to do with it. all she did was name the shelter to provide info for anyone who may have adopted a dog from there recently so she can reach her dog’s current owners. nothing she did was to intentionally slander to the shelter.

      • I mostly agree with you. I’m glad for the family or person or persons who adopted the dog that privacy laws are in place. This is getting out of hand. However, I’ve seen many comments on other pages where people are saying they will no longer donate to Baypath, so yes, they’re being hurt unnecessarily!

  8. wrong. the headline doesn’t imply baypath had to give consent, it implies she didn’t give her consent no matter what. and have u seen the bill of sale from 5 years ago? how do u know so much?

  9. Something about this entire situation doesn’t sit right with me… there hasn’t been any proof of ownership (vet bills don’t count), and using the names of the ex-boyfriend and rescue just doesn’t sit right with me either. I hope Bam is with a good family now. I hope he doesn’t return to either previous owners.

  10. The only intent here is for a beloved pet to get back to its owner. I know both personally for years. Margaret wanted, begged to keep him because she knew he would have a good home and could take care of his special needs as he had special dietary issues. Unfortunately, Adam only cared about hurting her in the worst possible way with no regard for the safety and health of the dog. All Baypath needed to do is let the new owners know the situation and let them make their own decision. I could say many things about Adam, but I won’t, however. Margaret is one of the most kind and loving souls I have ever met. I truly hope this site reaches the new owners so they can make their own decision.

  11. This girl clearly just wants her dog back. Why are people on here talking about what she calls her dad? It has nothing to do with the point of the article. Anyone who surrenders a dog when they have a home and family is pure evil. I hope she is reunited with her dog.

  12. Hi everyone thank you so much for the supporters! I’m just trying to get my dog back. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me on my validity. Some people in my ex boyfriends life are commenting some untrue and horrible things. I made the post with the hope Bam will come home and we can find the owner so I can have a conversation with them. If roles were reversed I would want the dog returned to someone who has been in his life from he start. In my heart I know I am a good person, I hope you all could see that. Please pray!

  13. Let it go already! He owed her nothing. Slamming Baypath is wrong. MAYBE he could’ve asked her if she wanted the dog, but there mus’tve been a reason why he didn’t. Without hearing his side, eveyrone is just jumping to conclusions and potentially hurting a business that did nothing wrong. Jumping to social media for ATTENTION SEEKING all over the place is wrong. Let the dog live in peace, leave the new OWNERS alone, and stop the madness. Initially I felt bad for her, but not after seeing the rest of the story…and there still is a lot missing.

    • Do a better job vetting the owners next time. Regardless of the situation with his ex, it’s cruel to rehome a dog after 5 years.

    • If this was legit and you were a responsible breeder, wouldn’t you require any dog you bred be returned to you in the situation that the owner could not longer care for it?

      I’m not siding with either person I think they both suck, but any responsible breeder would want their dog returned to them rather than put in a shelter..

    • That’s right there is a lot missing so stop judging her, for simply wanting her dog back who she has loved and taken care of emotionally, financially, this is just disgusting. Anybody who feels for animals as family would do anything to get it back. The only one being slandered here is Margaret.

Comments are closed.

More like this

Baypath Buddy: Badger

Baypath Buddy: Haus