A man in St. Petersburg, FL is pleading for help to find his dog. The young Rottweiler named Mahi was picked up by a Lyft driver in the early hours of November 2nd. Jason Gell is Mahi’s dad and he’s absolutely heartbroken. Luckily, the neighbor’s security cameras were able to offer a little insight into Mahi’s disappearance.
Gell says Mahi scratched at the door to go out around 12:30 am. Gell let him out and but then fell asleep on the couch before Mahi came back in. A worker had left a gate open earlier in the day, unbeknownst to Gell. Mahi, being a curious puppy, wandered into the street.
“There’s 20 minutes on video of him prancing around, doing his thing,” Gell told ABC Action News.
One Unfortunate Event After Another
The video goes on to show Mahi chasing a car in the street about 45 minutes after Gell let him out. The car eventually stopped and invited Mahi inside. Gell says Mahi didn’t have on a collar because it had been Halloween the day before and he had put a harness on him instead so that he could keep him safe during trick or treating. He removed the harness after the holiday was over, but forgot to put his collar back on.
“When I saw the video the first time, I’m yelling at the TV. No! Don’t! Stop, don’t do that!” said Gell.
It’s easy then to see why someone may stop and pick up Mahi, not knowing that he was just a few steps outside of his loving home. News Channel 8 reports that the Lyft driver said he noticed the dog was dirty. He stopped a few blocks away to move him to the back hatch but that’s when Mahi escaped. It was a series of unfortunate events. But, it’s what happened after that night that has Gell so upset.
One Step Forward And Two Steps Back
Gell was able to find the rider that the Lyft driver had just dropped off. That rider assisted Gell in contacting Lyft for help but Gell says the rideshare service has given him the runaround. Lyft took three days to give the driver’s information to local law enforcement. Gell feels that this gave the driver plenty of time to think of a convincing story about where Mahi went.
Gell, an attorney himself, had a subpoena filed in an attempt to get the driver’s ride logs. The subpoena was denied because the request was deemed “too broad.” He feels he is reaching the end of ideas to find his sweet boy.
“On a personal note, this is devastating to me, my family, and my friends that know Mahi. I gave up sleep a while ago and cannot keep a dry face when I look at his empty cage or his bed. My home is empty without him. I just want him back,” Gell pleaded on Facebook.
Any Help Or Ideas Are Welcome
Gell says he feels helpless, scared, angry and sad. He receives an overwhelming number of messages every day. To add insult to injury, many of these messages accuse him of not caring for Mahi. The events that unfolded are heartbreaking, but anyone can make a mistake.
Mahi’s dad is afraid that he was taken out of the local area or is being used for fighting. And, as more time passes with no leads, he’s afraid that Mahi will drift to the back of everyone’s minds. Gell says he will stop at nothing to get Mahi back and he’s offering a $3,000 reward. Community members frequently walk around the area and local shelters have been checked but there have still been no signs of Mahi.
Mahi is almost a year old and weighs 65 pounds. Any tips can be posted on the Help Us Find Mahi Facebook page.
You can watch the video of Mahi’s disappearance here.
https://www.facebook.com/FindMAHI/videos/2780323562013039/?v=2780323562013039
h/t: ABCActionNews.com
Featured Photo: @HelpUsFindMahi/Facebook
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