"Knuckles was kidnapped by my ex-girlfriend and the legal fees to retrieve him are going to bankrupt me," New Yorker Craig Dershowitz said on the crowd-funding site indiegogo.com.
Mr Dershowitz accuses his former companion of absconding to California with a dog he loves so much he considers it a "son."
"The bond is as strong as between a child and parent," he said in his plea for help.
He said he's already spent $30,000, but because his ex "is filing frivolous motion after frivolous motion," he's no closer to getting custody.
To attract donors on the site, he offers rewards ranging from a "virtual smooch" for those giving $10, to free entry at a nightclub where he is a doorman for those paying $100, and a graffiti mural for those ready to give $10,000.
The fund raising drive has a month to go. In the last seven days, he's raised $881. (AFP)