California Family Finds Craigslist Ad Listing Their Missing Dog for Sale

A young pug. Year-old pugs can fetch up to $2,237 in Germany. Pixabay

A California woman whose pug dog went missing from her backyard found it listed on Craigslist two weeks later but said the seller is refusing to tell her who bought it.

Samantha Norris posted flyers around the neighborhood after her pug, Ted, went missing from her home in Lake Los Angeles three weeks ago.

Two weeks later, she received a Facebook message that Ted appeared to have been listed on Craigslist.

Norris later posted a copy of the listing to Facebook, which describes the 2-year-old male pug as “super healthy, nice lap dog with all the shots” who “loves everyone and other pets.”

The lister said that the dog was being sold because they were moving and asked for a $200 rehoming fee.

According to KTLA, Norris called the number on the advertisement.

“She said she did have my dog. She did sell him on Craigslist for $200,” Norris said.

But despite the admission, Norris is back to desperately searching for Ted again.

“I was in contact with the person who sold him but she will not give me any information on who she sold him to! wrote Norris in a Facebook post on May 3. ”I know where the lady lives but she doesn’t have my boy.”

According to KTLA, the woman lives down the street, less than a quarter mile away.

Norris said the woman denies stealing Ted, but keeps changing her story. She initially said that he jumped in her van, then that he walked up to her porch, according to KTLA.

She said that the alleged thief claimed to have not seen any of the “missing dog” flyers, despite driving past four of them.

“The police went to her house and then came to mine to get my side of the story,” wrote Norris on Facebook. “They said she changed her story a few times and it’s not making sense. I told them my side and what she had told me and they said I have a case and can press charges and I AM pressing charges against her.”

Ted is microchipped, which Norris hopes can help trace him as she once again tries to spread the word about her missing dog.

“It breaks my heart knowing he was literally right around the corner,” she told KTLA.

Biggie the pug poses for photos at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, on Feb. 11, 2019. Nat Castaneda/AP Photo

“It’s my dog, it’s my family. My kids want their dog back. My sons ask everyday, ‘when’s he coming back?’”

Earlier this year, another distraught pug owner in Germany learned that their beloved family pet had been sold on eBay after local authorities had seized the valuable pure-bred over nonpayment of taxes.

The sale of the dog quickly became a headache for the local authorities as the new owner sued them for medical bills when it turned out the pug wasn’t as healthy as the listing suggested.

The family pug, named Edda, was bought online in December for the knock-down price of 750 euros ($850) from authorities in the town of Ahlen. Year-old pugs like Edda normally fetch double the price.

A black pug rests on the floor. Pixabay

Suspicious of the price, the buyer had phoned before purchasing and was surprised to find a local council worker had listed the dog, which had been seized as payment of fines from a local family.

It was the first time that the city authorities had seized an animal as debt collection, according to Bild.

“How it all ended, that was absolutely not okay,” the former owner told Tageblatt.

She said, “I know now that Edda is in good hands,” but added her three children miss the dog.

The owner said that she accepted that authorities had acted within the law.