STARK COUNTY, Ohio (WEWS) – A humane society in Ohio has mistakenly reunited dogs with their wrong owners.
Now, concerns are being raised by residents who are wondering if someone is intentionally claiming dogs they do not own.
It all started with a Belgian malinois that was found with no tags or microchips.
The Stark County Humane Society posted the dog on Facebook Friday searching for the owner.
The next day, the humane society posted again stating a mistake was made and the dog went home with two gentlemen who were not the owners.
“The dog happily greeted the young man. Therefore, nothing appeared suspicious at the time. It has since been discovered this was not in fact his dog,” the humane society wrote.
Residents say this is not the first time the Stark County Humane Society has done this.
Brendon Skelton said it happened to him just a week before.
“They gave my dog to the wrong owner, but at this point, they’re giving dogs to just anybody, it seems like, with a photo,” Brendon Skelton said. “That makes me feel like they actually don’t care enough.”
Skelton said his dog Pablo went missing and the humane society later posted a photo of his pet.
He called, but they were closed.
Skelton said he and others commented, stating it was his dog, but got no response.
The next day, he called again.
“At 11:07, they tell me, ‘Hey, he’s already been given to his rightful owner’ and I’m like, ‘Who’s that?’ And they wouldn’t tell me that,” he said.
Skelton says they told him someone else took Pablo home, and he still has no idea where he is.
He believes Pablo was taken by someone he knows and he says the Humane Society told him there is nothing they can do about it.
Skelton said this should have never happened.
“I want to see the humane society implement something a little bit better in place of how showing proof of ownership. Pictures are just not good enough,” he said.
Regarding the Belgian malinois, the humane society believes the individuals connected may be part of an organized scam falsely claiming dogs as their own.
“We through social media have been informed that this may be a regular procedure this said team has been executing across Stark County,” the humane society said.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office said it recovered the Belgian malinois, and the dog has been reunited with his family.
Meanwhile, a warrant has been obtained for a 25-year-old man in connection to the stolen dog.
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