If only Max could tell his owner Trisha Smith, where he has been and what he’s seen in the past 24 hours.
“It’s been a bad 12 hours,” said Johnston County resident Trisha Smith.
It all started Sunday, where she tells WRAL News she ordered groceries on Instacart.
Right before Smith was due to receive her delivery, her son let out Max, the family’s 12-year-old Maltipoo.
“We looked everywhere, and we couldn’t find him, so we started looking on our cameras,” she said.
Smith showed WRAL News her doorbell cameras where you can see the delivery driver pull up in her truck, she then sees Max in the yard, and motions for the dog to come over.
“You see there in the video he is in the yard, by the sidewalk,” she explained. “You can see she put the dog in the truck, and then goes and puts our groceries at the door.”
The delivery driver, a woman, leaves.
“We are freaking out at this point, I [got] on Facebook, and called the police,” Smith said.
Within minutes, through the power of the Clayton Mom’s Facebook page, Smith got the Instacart delivery driver’s phone number, who told her she didn’t take the dog.
Smith says the driver’s story changed when she talked to police.
“She told the police, ‘I did take the dog but thought [he] was homeless,'” Smith said.
Smith said the driver told police she took the dog to a shelter, who told the driver they couldn’t take the dog.
On Monday, WRAL News tried contacting the driver but did not hear back.
All night long, Smith said she and her family didn’t sleep. Smith said her family did not know where Max was. She continued to post on social media, hoping for answers. Smith said she received a call on Monday morning.
“My phone [rang],” Smith said. “It’s her [the delivery driver].
“She says, ‘I have your dog. You will never forgive me. It’s already done.'”
About 22 hours later, the same delivery driver was on camera returning Max with a deputy escort.
“She goes to hand me Max, and says, ‘You really need to take that stuff off Facebook,'” Smith said.
Max is back at the Smith home after the ordeal. She and her family credit people who helped on social media.
“I have never in my life seen community rally together they really did for me,” Smith said. “I don’t think I’d find him if he wasn’t for them.”
The family plans to press charges against the delivery driver.
On Monday, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said the incident is under investigation.
Instacart provided the following statement on Monday.
“We take these kinds of claims very seriously, and are in touch with both the customer and shopper,” Instacart’s statement reads. “We’re unable to provide any additional details as this is an ongoing investigation.”
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