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What do a Great Dane, a college visit, and a Yorkie have to do with bankruptcy?  No – it’s not about how expensive college and vet care have become (although that would be a good answer!)

My screen saver in my office shows family pictures.  When the picture of our Great Dane pops up, the dog owners always seem to ask “is that your dog?” Until now I would say it was my daughter’s dog.  However, when my daughter went out of state for a couple of days for a college visit, I had to take over the dog walking duties.

It dawned on me that I am going to be at least the temporary custodian of a Great Dane, and I will have to stop joking about how it’s not my dog.

Like any dog owner, I know a pet is a real asset in your life. The trouble is, the bankruptcy court also thinks your pet is an asset – a financial asset.

I often have to explain to the client that in bankruptcy cases we have to list pets as an asset and assign a dollar value to them so that they can exempt their pet and keep it.

In a bankruptcy filing, we have a legal obligation to list all of your assets. And yes, we have to list your pets.

Listing your pet on your bankruptcy filing is scary and difficult. When filing for bankruptcy, the court will require you to assign a monetary value to your pet.

But don’t worry – you don’t have to sell your pet!

You just have to come up with a reasonable monetary value and list it as an asset.  Then we will exempt it. The bankruptcy laws allow a certain amount of exemptions which are personal assets you get to keep. The bankruptcy trustee cannot take them. We will always list your pet as an exempt asset in your bankruptcy case.

Then you get to keep your pet without any worries!

The value for a “used pet” is pretty low, so this isn’t usually difficult from an academic perspective.  The difficulty is getting the client to realize the difference between the real value of their pet to them (priceless!), and the cold, hard monetary value to the bankruptcy court.

Conclusion & Next Steps

So never worry about your pet in a bankruptcy filing. We will be sure to keep your pet safe for you.

Want to know more? Discover what you need to know about bankruptcy in Maryland. Click here to see our Free Legal Consumer Guide to Maryland bankruptcy cases and get answers to your questions today. Know your options. Be informed. Protect yourself.

Need a bankruptcy lawyer? Please contact us for a consultation today if you need a Maryland bankruptcy lawyer for your bankruptcy case.

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