BRUNSWICK, Maine — A dog went missing from the Coastal Humane Society on Friday, and shelter officials are asking for the public’s help in bringing him back.
Shadow, a 1½-year-old male beagle, was allegedly taken for a walk around the shelter by prospective adopters who forgot to bring him back.
“They basically slipped away with the dog,” said Customer Relations Manager Lisa Smith.
Smith said shelter officials reported Shadow’s disappearance to Brunswick police immediately. The dog is being treated for Lyme disease, which can be debilitating for the animals.
“We don’t intend to prosecute anyone. We just want the dog back,” Smith said.
Shadow is microchipped through a system called 24PetWatch, Smith said, and his identification number is 958121012869327.
“If he does show up at a vet clinic and they scan him it will admit his microchip ID number,” she said.
Smith said this type of incident has never happened before at the facility.
“We’re fearing the worst but we’re hoping for the best,” she said.
Anyone with information on the dog’s whereabouts should contact the shelter at 773-7377 and ask for manager Aggie Purinton, or Brunswick police at 725-5521.
seriously how could they “forget” to bring the dog back??!! Poor dog. How can this be prevented in the future? Maybe a sign in sheet or ID taken from people who walk the dog and when they return the dog they get their ID back?? I think the couple should be prosecuted for being obviously dumb.
Hi there! I work at CHS, and we have all visitors to the shelter sign in when they enter the facility for a visit, and we’re discussing other measures that may prevent theft in the future, including collateral and surveillance equipment. We’ll be sure to let everyone know if Shadow is returned to us, and in the meantime, it’s very helpful for community members to keep their eyes peeled and ears open for this wonderful dog. Please call 773-7377 or 725-5051 with any information, and thank you!
How can you “steal” a dog that is being given away for adoption? wait i forgot the Humane society doesn’t put dogs up for adoption no more then the local pet store does, it sells them to fund their efforts to get hunting and trapping banned.
Your brilliant intelligence is shining thru like a star
A burned out star…stealing is stealing and they get money for the animals that are adopted to care for the animals that are dropped off or found wandering around. Animals should be spayed and neutered so they are not overrun with unwanted pets.
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So, if you have visitors sign in why don’t you know who took the beagle?
There’s a pack of scum running around this State stealing dogs. Then they throw the stolen dog into a ring with a pitbull, which promptly kills the other dog for “training”, for his next dog fight. Don’t let your dog run loose. It will be stolen by these POS’s & killed.
Oh dear Lord, that thought makes me sick!
Whats the story here? the humane society was looking for people to take the dog and people took the dog, so whats the problem?
You’re joking, right?
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WELL SAID!
They didn’t pay outrageous adoption fees.
i dont think bangor humane society will allow that how dumb
In all likelyhood the people simply wanted a dog and didn’t have the money for adoption fees. It’s not like they stole a child from its mother.
if you dont have the money for a pet then you DO NOT need a pet!
If they can’t afford an adoption fee then most likely they won,t be able to afford the vet and food bills.
Shadow, a 1½-year-old male beagle, was allegedly taken for a walk around the shelter by prospective adopters who forgot to bring him back.
Considering this took place Friday, and today is Wednesday, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the “potential adopters didn’t forget” to bring the dog back.
But if I cut out the speculation in the article I learn:
“They basically slipped away with the dog,” said Customer Relations Manager Lisa Smith.
So yeah, I would say the act is pretty intentional here. Kidnapping, charge them, end of story.
they should get the people’s information first like a copy of their drivers license and also keep a record of what they are driving (if they were in a car)…actually leaving the drivers license(s) should be a requirement of the adopters taking the dog for a walk. Or a person from the shelter should accompany them.
I totally understand the concern here.
Many people dont consider illness or vet services for animals, and this one is sick. And it costs less to feed a dog in a month than what the adoption fee would be. So, the person/people who took the dog may indeed be able to afford to feed and shelter a dog and may not have known this dog was ill.
On the other hand, a much larger issue is present here in the fact that not everyone has nice intentions for the animals and will in fact, use the dog for ‘bait’ or other immoral reasons. The shelter has a legitimate concern.
At the least, perhaps those responsible could work with the shelter to pay the fee in payments, or perhaps someone will step up and pay the fee for them if they have a legitimate cause for adoption and could provide a loving home.