Pam Highsmith was devastated when her Maltipoo named Macy escaped her yard in Savannah, Georgia. As she was chasing her furry friend, a car pulled over. Someone got out of the car, grabbed Macy, and sped off. A few neighbors also witnessed the tragic dog-napping.
For a while, Highsmith was devastated and didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t stop crying for the next 36 hours. It wasn’t long before someone reached out saying they knew who had Macy. But the process of getting Macy back was much more stressful than Highsmith could’ve ever anticipated.
Fighting for Her Dog’s Return
Someone saw the missing dog posters a day after Macy went missing and told Highsmith that they knew who had her dog. They sent her a number to call, but things didn’t go as planned. Right away, the woman on the phone wanted to know how much the reward money was.
“The young lady wanted to know how much the reward was and when my daughter-in-law told her that it was $200, she said, ‘Well, that’s not enough to take her away from my 3-year-old,’ and she hung up,” Highsmith said.
But Highsmith couldn’t let it end there. She negotiated with the thief over text, but they kept changing their story and raising the price. Highsmith has screenshots of the texts to prove the woman was exploiting her.
The woman changed her story later and claimed that someone on Facebook was willing to pay her $650 for the dog. So, she wouldn’t accept anything lower. Highsmith didn’t see any option other than to buy her dog back.
A Hefty Ransom Fee
Highsmith and her family met the scammer in a parking lot to exchange money for Macy. A police officer was going to meet them there, but that officer was dispatched for an emergency and wasn’t able to arrive until after the suspect left. Sadly, someone expecting lots of money for a lost dog is more common than people realize.
“Their full intention was to get money, and one of the things I want to point out is when folks buy dogs off of Facebook, they need to be very leery,” Highsmith said. “They need to get some kind of proof of ownership because a lot of these dogs are stolen.”
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Months later, the Savannah Police Department confirmed that they have a detective investigating the situation. Hopefully, the investigation will end in an arrest. It’s not fair for someone to expect so much money just because they found someone’s dog.
The police department suggests that dog parents in this situation shouldn’t disclose the reward amount until after they receive their pet. They should get as much information about the finder as possible and contact the police if the person is demanding a certain amount of money. Getting your pet microchipped is one of the best ways to ensure that they return home after a situation like this.
H/T: wjcl.com
Featured Image: screenshot, wjcl.com
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