Boerne – A woman searching for her pets is warning others to be cautious about how much information they put on their missing pet flyers.
It’s been 24 days since Carolyn Kahle last saw her two labradors on her property after they wandered off into a nearby creek as they do regularly.
“They’re country dogs. They know the creek,” she said.
The dogs always returned, but after more than 30 minutes, she went looking for them, and they were gone.
Since then, Kahle launched a search by foot, online and by word of mouth.
“I first put out a sign that said cash reward. Then I put out a prize. I had it at $2,000,” she said.
After that, things got weird.
Kahle’s phone was flooded with calls and texts from people who said they had her dogs. She even got a call from someone who claimed to be with Animal Care Services, wanting her to send money through Venmo.
“I did not send them the money. I did not send anyone else the money because I had read about these things,” Kahle said.
Animal Care Services warns people to safeguard information about their pets and themselves when making missing pet flyers.
Don’t give away your pet’s name, your full name or the exact reward amount if there is one. ACS also encourages people to constantly communicate with their local animal shelter in case their pet turns up. ACS says Lost Dogs of Texas is an active place to look for missing pets, as well as PetcoLove.
ACS also urges families to notify the microchip company about the missing pet and ensure the information is current.
Kahle is not giving up on her search, but she’s upset people would take advantage of vulnerable families.
“To have something like this happen to you and to have people take advantage of you is just rubbing salt in the wound,” she said.
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