COVINGTON, Ga. — A Covington woman claims her neighbor demanded $200 for the return of her missing dog, which was ultimately handed over to animal control.
Briale James’s dog, Cali, a German Shepherd-Siberian Husky mix, went missing the day before Labor Day.
James posted on social media and searched her neighborhood for Cali.
Two days later, she received a message from a stranger claiming to have found her dog and demanding compensation for its return.
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“They were like, ‘We need some money. We need some compensation for his rescue. We’re not giving your dog back until you pay us. You can Zelle. You can Apple Pay,’” James told Channel 2’s Cory James.
Upon receiving pictures of Cali, James conducted a reverse search on the phone number and identified the neighbor.
She said she was surprised to discover that the person who had her pet lived just 400 feet away.
“I seen the curtains and the curtains were the same in the picture so I just sat there on the phone with police and it took everything within me not to physically knock on her door myself,” James recounted.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether the neighbor committed a crime by refusing to return the pet. The neighbor claimed the $200 was for damages caused by the dog.
Instead of returning the dog to James, the neighbor turned Cali over to animal control, where James eventually retrieved her pet.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office says when they showed up, the neighbor admitted to having the dog but told them they turned it over to animal control and requested money because the dog allegedly tore up their carpet.
But deputies told her that the damages caused were her responsibility since she volunteered to take the dog.
They then told her she had a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to return Cali to James.
Pet FBI – a nonprofit organization that has an online, free database for lost and found pets – says it get messages daily from people who are trying to figure out how to get their dogs back from people demanding money, usually by text.
“If they prove to you that they do have your pet and they still are asking for money that’s illegal,” said Leslie Poole of Pet FBI.
James says she had to go to two animal control facilities to get back Cali. She says Cali is a a one-year-old emotional support animal helping her navigate pain from a traumatic life experience.
“You just don’t know what somebody is going through. You don’t use people. You don’t do that to people,” James said.
And if an investigation proves the neighbor did something wrong, they could be charged with theft of lost or mislaid property.
Depending on the price of the dog, that could be a misdemeanor or felony.
Deputies say if someone requests money for a missing pet, don’t engage. Just call 911 to report it.
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