Oakland County Sheriff deputies took the report, but advised two women that their dispute over the ownership of a dog is considered a civil matter.
Deputies responded on May 5 to a Squirrel Hill Court residence, where a woman said a dog which had run away was in the custody of a Madison Heights woman who refused to give it back.
The dog’s original owner, who admitted she had not licensed it, was gone for several days. She learned from the Clarkston Animal Medical Center that the second woman brought the dog in for treatment.
Deputies contacted the second woman, who works at an Independence Township residence. She said the dog had run loose for more than a week. With the help of other sheriff deputies, the woman said she captured the dog, who was very dirty and hungry.
The veterinarian, according to the second woman, said the dog suffered previous injuries from being hit by a car and had an unhealed abdominal wound.
Since she paid for the dog’s care, and since the dog was unlicensed, the second woman refused to give the dog back, reports said.
Deputies cited the first woman for allowing a dog to be at large and for failing to license the animal.