“If she didn’t come and collect the dog and pay him €200, he was going to shoot the dog.”
A word of warning has been soundly issued following a horrific dog rehoming scam that took place in County Limerick.
A woman by the name of Karen, who hails from Skibbereen, contacted her local radio station on Friday to tell a difficult story on behalf of her “petrified” friend.
Due to an increasingly busy life, Karen’s friend offered her pet dog free to a good home, noting that she was unable to commit to walking the dog daily any longer.
“She’s working full time, she’s not at home, the dog is a big dog and needs a lot of walking,” said Karen in conversation with John Paul McNamara on C103’s Cork Today show.
“She decided to offer the dog to a good home, a free home, which, you know, you can appreciate her generosity,” she added.
Karen explained that her friend placed an advertisement on social media which was then responded to by a man in Newcastlewest, County Limerick.
Karen’s friend then travelled to Limerick, met the unnamed man and handed over the dog.
A couple of days later, she received a phone call from the man informing her that he no longer wanted the dog and that unless she came back to collect the dog and gave him €200, he would kill the animal.
“If she didn’t come and collect the dog and pay him €200, he was going to shoot the dog,” said Karen.
The lady subsequently drove, in a state of panic, from west Cork to Limerick and delivered the money, only having the dog returned to her once it was handed over.
Gardaí have been informed about the incident, but “nothing came of it”, Karen noted.
With the woman in question too shaken up to discuss the experience, Karen rang up C103 with her friend’s permission in order to warn the public of the same situation happening to them.
“I know a lot of people are going to say – ‘Never give a dog away, you don’t know where they are going’ – she was scammed. She was scammed. She thought she was doing the right thing and unfortunately she wasn’t.”
You can listen to the full conversation below.
Karen explained that her friend said that the man “seemed okay” before later threatening her.
“She’s absolutely petrified,” said Karen.
“She doesn’t want her name mentioned. This guy has her phone number. The Gardaí tried his number and now it doesn’t ring, but he still has her number.”
Rescue Animals Ireland has a comprehensive guide for pet rehoming in order to find the best solution for all involved which can be viewed here.
Dogs Trust has a detailed Frequently Asked Questions section regarding the rehoming and adoption of dogs which can be viewed here.
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