March 2008 Playmate of the Month Ida Ljungqvist is involved in a custody battle with her ex. They’re not fighting over who the kids get to live with though. Ljungqvist’s husband of under a year, Joshua R. Lang, claims she took his dog from him without permission when they separated in September. Ljungqvist says the dog was a gift, but her ex claims he adopted it as a pup and it’s rightfully his. Lang says the dog, Bonnie, is like a child to him and he wants visitation rights and co-custody. He’s spent thousands in attorney’s fees trying to exercise his right to see the dog and claims that Ljungqvist offered him $200,000 to take the chihuahua with her to Europe. Ljungqvist denies this, and it’s a real he-said she-said when it comes to who owns and cares for the dog. If only all animals could be so wanted:

Lang wants visitation, spent thousands in attorney’s fees
Joshua R. Lang, who married March 2008 Playmate Ida Ljungqvist last Dec. 7, bought Bonnie in the City of Commerce in February when the Chihuahua was 1 month old. He claims the dog is his and that Ljungqvist took the canine without permission when they separated on Sept. 11.

Lang, who filed for divorce on Sept. 19, is asking a Santa Monica Superior Court commissioner to order Ljungqvist to bring back the dog to him immediately, or to allow him visitation with the pet during alternating weeks.

In a sworn declaration, Lang says he has spent “an enormous amount of attorneys’ fees on this issue” because he believes the cause is worthwhile.

“I love Bonnie and miss her tremendously,” his declaration says. “She is like my child and I want to have her returned to me, or in the very least I want to exercise custody of her.”

Ljungqvist says the dog was a gift
But Ljungqvist — the first African-born Playmate — maintains Lang purchased the dog for her as a gift during difficult times between the couple. She does not wish to part with the animal, according to one of her lawyers, Jeffrey S. Helfer.

“For her to return the gift will not happen,” Helfer wrote in a letter to Lang’s attorney, Megan E. Green, who attached a copy of the missive to her client’s court papers. “If you intend to proceed forward in court, so be it.”

Helfer also denied Green’s statement, in a letter to him, that Ljungqvist offered to give Lang $200,000 if he allowed her to take the dog to Europe.

“Ms. Ljungqvist has no intentions of relocating from Los Angeles to Europe,” Helfer wrote. Commissioner David J. Cowan held a brief hearing on Lang’s motion on Monday. He postponed further proceedings until Nov. 24 so Ljungqvist’s lawyers can file papers on her behalf, according to another member of her legal team, Keith A. Fink.

“If the best show award was given for the silliest lawsuit, this matter would be the odds-on favorite to win,” Fink said. “Mr. Lang claims to be emotionally devastated not because he no longer is with his charming, beautiful and intelligent wife, but because he misses his Chihuahua Bonnie and wants joint custody.”

Ljungqvist claims he was the dog’s caregiver
A copy of Helfer’s letter was included within Lang’s court papers, which say he found Bonnie while searching online ad for puppies and bought the dog for $400. The night Lang brought the Chihuahua home, Ljungqvist chose to go out to dinner while he stayed home with the new puppy, according to his court papers.

“At no time did I tell Ida that Bonnie was a gift for her,” Lang states in his court papers. Lang says he walked the Chihuahua every day, took her to parks to play with other dogs, went hiking with the dog in Malibu and traveled with the animal to San Francisco and Arizona.

“Ida rarely, if at all, cared for Bonnie,” Lang states. Lang’s lawyer submitted a copy of a community petition from fellow pet owners at the Barrington dog park who support Lang and want Bonnie “returned to Mr. Lang as soon as possible.”

[From MSNBC, subheaders added]

Maybe if more divorcing couples had the resources of this two we would see more lawsuits in which exes fight over pet ownership. According to the Christian Science Monitor, many law schools including Harvard, Georgetown, and Yale, have animal law classes which include pet custody issues. Pets are considered personal property under the law, but animal rights activists encourage judges to take a broader view of animals and the emotional attachment they have with caregivers. In order to avoid battles over who gets custody of the pets, experts recommend that marrying couples sign off on a “pre-pup” agreement as well as a pre-nup.

Ida Ljungqvist is shown at the Marijuana Policy Project’s Party and Fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion on 6/12/08. Credit: WENN