This son has been a Heroin Addict, and is purportedly on Methadone recovery treatment. His mother had colitis and had trouble walking her dog. she has now recovered, and wants her dog back. Her son says she is not yet capable of looking after the dog, but she insists that she now can...it is her dog. Then he says she needs to pay him $300.00 for "boarding her dog" for perhaps 4 weeks. Originally he said $700.00 to return the dog. Sounds like extortion. The son has also run up charges on his mother's credit card which he borrowed to pay a minor bill and continued to use, as well as begged her to pay a traffic ticket he had incurred of $200.00, which she did. What are my friend's options?
If they can’t come to an agreement, she’s going to have to take him to small claims/civil court & sue him for the return of the dog and repayment of the credit card charges. The police won’t get involved in the dog situation, it is a civil matter.
In this situation, she is between a rock and a hard place. I suggest she cancel the credit card, pay the extortion and stop supporting her son financially.
As she has a chronic medical condition, which will flare up again, she needs to find another option for pet care when she needs it. Whether it is a boarding kennel, private home, neighbours etc.
Then your friend needs to stop enabling her son with his bills and his self-imposed costs from traffic tickets. As far as the credit card goes, your friend should immediately cancel the credit card and get a new one, one that her son cannot get a hold of.