A Manhattan man has gone to court to regain custody of his kidnapped “son” – his dog Knuckles.
In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Craig Dershowitz says he hasn’t seen his precious puggle in months, since ex-girlfriend Sarah Brega “took unilateral control of Knuckles and kidnapped him.”
He believes Brega has since spirited Knuckles away to California – and he wants a judge to force Brega to bring his “baby boy” back home.
“I took the step to file suit because there seemed to be no other recourse. I tried my hardest to appeal to her sense of justice and, in general, her emotions. When that did not work, I had no other choice,” said Dershowitz, a 34-year-old art gallery employee.
“You say it is an extraordinary step but I think most pet owners would agree with me. Knuckles is my son, my heart – you would fight just as hard to protect your own children.”
The tattooed artist said he got “Knux” through a family in New Jersey that had a litter of puggles, which are a cross between a pug and a beagle.
“I chose the name ‘Knuckles’ because he was the littlest yet most spirited of the litter. He looked like a scrapper,” the Brooklyn native said.
The suit says that when he and his live-in girlfriend of four years broke up last March, there was no question of who the dog belonged to. He’s the registered owner, and the one who paid for his vet bills, food, “support, upkeep and maintenance,” the suit says.
Nevertheless, while Dershowitz was looking for a new place to live, they “agreed upon temporary joint custody” of Knux and split time with him, the suit says.
Brega, a wardrobe stylist and artist, started “stonewalling” Dershowitz from seeing Knuckles in September, and then took off to California with him in December.
Dershowitz said he was intitially able to keep tabs on how Knux was going through friends, but he’s been in the dark since Brega headed out west, and he wants his baby back home.
“He is the most tender dog – just a sensitive, human-like soul,” Dershowitz said. “If there was a way to describe or share the experience of being with Knuckles I would. My words don’t even begin to do him justice.”
Brega did not return an e-mail for comment.