A dog that was reportedly stolen resurfaced with an entirely new appearance, making her look like a different dog.
A dog that had been stolen resurfaced with dyed fur in what animal shelter staffers think was an effort to deceive the owners. The pooch was returned to her true human family, but disappeared shortly after the reunion.
The 8-month-old pit bull called Coco was adopted in late October by Christopher Ingrassi and Heather Lowry. About a month after arriving at her new home, she disappeared, likely from a theft.
Ingrassi and Lowry began searching for their reddish brown dog with white markings on her chest, but she couldn’t be found. Recently, however, a Ramona Humane Society animal control officer spotted a black dog close to her house.
The pooch was taken to a shelter, where a microchip scan revealed the dog’s identity as Coco. Lowry was immediately contacted and told her canine had been found.
She also learned she might not recognize Coco, as her fur was dyed black. Riverside County Field & Shelter Deputy Director Frank Corvino commented “We believe it was an act of deception. The dye job is not very good. But it would work if someone's looking for their missing, reddish-brown dog.”
After being back in Lowry’s home for just a few days, Coco disappeared from her backyard during a bathroom break. She had dug a hole under the fence. According to Lowry, the dye job has faded and now Coco’s fur is more of a chocolate brown color.
