STARK COUNTY, Ohio — In Stark County, residents are raising concerns that someone may be intentionally taking home dogs that don’t belong to them.
Over the weekend, the Stark County Humane Society is believed to have mistakenly reunited a pup with a stranger. Now, residents are speaking out on social media, claiming this isn’t the first time it’s happened.
RELATED: Stark County Humane Society searching for dog given to wrong owner
It all started with a Belgian Malinois that was found with no tags or microchip running on Corrib Avenue in Perry Heights. The Humane Society of Stark County posted a photo of the dog on their Facebook page Friday, searching for its owner.
The next day, it posted again, stating that a mistake had been made and that the dog had gone home with two men who weren’t the owners. The post read:
“He had photos of a dog that very much resembled the one pictured here, and the dog happily greeted the young man, therefore nothing appeared suspicious at the time. It has since been discovered that this was not, in fact, his dog.”
The Humane Society said it made a copy of the man’s license, and the Stark County Sheriff's Office is investigating. But as soon as the update was posted, the comment section exploded with angry, frustrated residents claiming this wasn’t the first time it had happened. Brandon Skelton said it happened to him just a week prior.
“They gave my dog to the wrong owner, but at this point they're giving dogs to just anybody. It seems like with a photo,” said Skeleton.
Brandon told News 5 that his dog, Pablo, went missing last Saturday. As he was searching his neighborhood for his pet, he noticed the Humane Society had posted a photo of his dog. He called them, but they were closed. He then commented, claiming ownership of the dog, but never heard back.
The next day, Brandon called again and learned that someone else had taken Pablo home.
“At 11:07 a.m. they tell me, ‘Hey, he’s already been given to his rightful owner.’ I’m like, ‘Who’s that?’ They wouldn’t tell me,” said Brandon.
Brandon believes his dog was taken by someone he knows, and he says the Humane Society told him there was nothing they could do about it. Frustrated, he added, this should have never happened.
“I want to see the Humane Society implement something a little bit better in place of how show improved from ownership. Pictures are just not good enough,” said Brandon.
Regarding the Belgian Malinois, the Humane Society believes that the individuals connected may be part of an "organized scam, falsely claiming dogs as their own." They wrote:
"We through social media have been informed that this may be a regular procedure this said 'team' has been executing across Stark County,” said the statement.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office told News 5 that it recovered the Belgian Malinois and that the dog is safe in its custody. As of Monday evening, the dog was reunited with its family after being micro-chipped, according to the sheriff's office.
A warrant has been obtained for a 25-year-old man on one count of falsification in a theft offense and one count of theft in connection to the stolen dog.
News 5 reached out to the Humane Society for further comments, but they did not want to comment at the time.
