NEW YORK â€"  A New York City man says his cross-country legal battle for custody of his little dog Knuckles is making him broke, but he is not going to roll over.

Craig Dershowitz says he has already spent upwards of $60,000 in his court fight for the pooch he considers his "son," and now he is turning to the web in the hopes of raising another $20,000 to keep his quest alive.

"I've pretty much gone through my life savings," the 34-year-old gallery employee said, but he quickly added, "It's worth it."

In papers filed earlier this year in Manhattan Supreme Court, Dershowitz said ex-girlfriend Sarah Brega "took unilateral control of Knuckles and kidnapped him" after they broke up -- spiriting the dog away to California.

Brega says that Dershowitz "unconditionally gifted" her the dog, and that the puggle -- half pug, half beagle -- is enjoying life with her out on the Left Coast.

Click for more on this story from The New York Post.