How does your county handle the ownership of a dog when relationships end?

I was told by a guy at the dog pound that in his county the dog is still property thus the law looks at it as property. They have no interest or power to make you surrender the dog as it would be a violation of the fourth (illegal seize) and would most likely be thrown out in court. The pound said where he lived all the pound would do was make sure the dog was healthy and had no bites on record to ensure it could be adopted if the owner relinquished it. Then they would release it back to the owner who could then relinquish it to friends, family, or shelter.<br><br>I was curious how they handle it in other counties