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LI Shelter Returns Family Dog After Threatening To Put Him Up For Adoption

BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A beloved family dog that wound up at an adoption center on Long Island has been returned to the care of his dog sitter.

The 8-year-old King Charles Cavalier named Lucky got loose while being looked after while his owners headed to Colombia to care for a terminally ill relative.

Lucky was picked up along a road and taken to Islip Animal Shelter and Adopt-a-Pet Center, where family friends told CBS2 shelter workers would not release the dog without proof of ownership.

Neighbor and friend Jo Ann Mort said Lucky's owners called the shelter and pleaded with them not to put him up for adoption and to release him to the babysitter or family friends, explaining they were out of the country.

But instead of returning Lucky to the babysitter or friends of the family, the shelter said it was putting Lucky up for adoption.

The shelter released a statement on its Facebook page Monday, saying "Since the dog has no form of ID, no tags or microchip, their is no proof of ownership. Legally we have to put the dog up for adoption after being held for 5 days if no owner steps up."

The shelter, however, ended up having a change of heart. And on Tuesday, Lucky was returned to the care of his dog sitter.

 

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