BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – An owner who lost his dog claims Berkeley Animal Center gave it away before he could get it back.
Corey White adopted his dog, Lullaby, five years ago. His seemingly happy lifestyle took a turn when his lullaby went missing in September last year, he said. He and his wife thought all hope was lost until he claims he saw a photo on a Feb. 4 Berkeley Animal Center Facebook post asking owners to retrieve their pets.
“They replaced the microchip within 24 hours,” White said. “So my dog was stolen.”
When White went to the center, Lullaby had already disappeared.
“They initially tried to convince me that it wasn't my dog until I called 24 Hour Pet Watch, and then they said, 'Oh, that's your dog.'” We made a mistake,” White said.
He added that new employees who “didn't know the rules” were to blame for this.
White said the pet protection service company 24 Pet Watch has Lullaby's microchip, which contains information about her owner. 24 According to Pet Watch, the information was changed on February 5th, the day after it was posted on Facebook.
“All the other dogs had their full faces taken,” White said. “My dog, they only filmed the right side of her face. It was like they were trying to hide her.”
According to Berkeley County law, pets and animals that are not adopted by their owners become the property of the shelter after 14 days. Only 5 days if the original owner is not present.
24 Pet Watch says the shelter has “superuser privileges.” This means registered shelters have the right to change microchip information, trusting that the shelter complies with local adoption laws. They say if the shelter doesn't follow the law, it will be a civil matter.
White then filed a police report with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office.
On behalf of the animal center, Berkeley County officials released the following statement:
We understand that there are differing opinions on how to keep a pet. However, this is a civil matter between parties disputing ownership.
White says she wants other pet owners to be careful.
“It doesn't matter if you have a microchip,” White said. “They can change that. Even if you spend money on a microchip, it doesn't matter because people can still steal your dog.”
White added that after his wife posted about their experience on social media, others contacted her to say the same thing had happened to them. He wants pet owners to call him or authorities if they think someone has seen a lullaby and want it changed.
“I hope that better policies are developed so that this never happens to anyone again,” White said.
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