The Stark County Humane Society is currently on a mission to recover a dog mistakenly given to the wrong person, according to information released by the organization. Last weekend, last Saturday, a case of alleged mistaken identity occurred when two men entered the Humane Society and left with a stray Belgian Malinois, WKYC reported. This incident came just a day after the shelter posted about the dog that had been found on Facebook.
Officials were later tipped off that the men were not the true owners of the dog. "We later discovered that this, in fact, is not their dog. Both have been contacted, but have stated they gave the dog to another gentleman claiming to be said owner," according to WKYC news. An investigation is ongoing with assistance from the Stark County Sheriff's Department and the Canton Police Department.
A separate incident cited by News 5 Cleveland involved a young man who went to the Stark County Humane Society claiming to be looking for his lost dog. He presented photos of a dog resembling the shelter's recent stray resident. The dog's affectionate response to the man didn't raise any alarms at the time, but it was subsequently discovered the dog did not belong to him.
The shelter has expressed concern over the possibility of an organized scam, where individuals claim lost dogs, citing information relayed through social media. "We through social media have been informed that this may be a regular procedure that this said 'team' has been executing across Stark County," the organization noted, according to WKYC News. The search for the rightful owner of the Belgian Malinois continues, and the humane society is reaching out to the community for any leads.
Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the Stark County Humane Society at 330-453-5529 or the Stark County Sheriff's Department at 330-430-3800. The Humane Society has stressed the importance of this issue not just for the safe return of the dog but also to alert the community of potential scams involving pet ownership claims. Their call for vigilance has been amplified by a statement shared by the Stark County Humane Society on Facebook, where any additional information on the rightful owner or the dog's whereabouts would be appreciated.
