Missed Deadline Costs Harlem Woman Her Little Furry Friend Of 7 Years
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A Harlem woman is hoping for a holiday miracle.
Her dog went missing, and before she could find it, the dog was adopted out by the city, reports CBS2's Nick Caloway.
Megaa, a 7-year-old Yorkie, was Yanique Gayle's whole world for the past seven years.
"He's a very nice dog, and he means so much to us," she said.
A family member was waking Megaa around West 136th Street and 7th Avenue when he got off his leash and ran away on Nov 24.
Gayle put up flyers and posted all over social media to get her furry friend back home.
"It's horrible. I've just been looking at my phone, waiting for someone to call me to tell me, 'Oh, I have your dog,'" she said.
Then she learned Megaa had been picked up by police and taken to Animal Care Centers of New York City.
He was microchipped, but Gayle never registered the chip, so the ACC had no way to know who Megaa belonged to.
By the time she called ACC, Megaa had already been adopted to another family.
ACC has a 72-hour hold on animals. If you claim your pet within three days, you can get it back. Gayle didn't claim Megaa for more than a week.
Officials at Animal Care Centers say they have reached out multiple times to the family who adopted Megaa to see if they would consider giving him back, but so far, they do not want to return the dog.
"I've had him since he was a puppy, and ya'll have only had him for a couple of days," said Gayle. "I don't understand how they don't want to give me my dog back."
As for what she can do next, her options are limited. Stuart Slotnick is a new york city attorney not involved in the case.
"The owner could take the adoptive family to court, and hopefully the new owners will be guided by their conscience, and not by a judge," he said.
"Whoever has him, please return him," said Gayle. "You all can get another dog. Just return him. He has a home."
The ACC says pet owners in the city should always get a license for their cats and dogs, microchip and register them and leave contact info on the collar.
If your pet ever gets lost, the first place you should go is Animal Care Centers.
