A woman is demanding her dog is returned after it ran away and got adopted.
Symara Moses' 10-year-old dog, Kobe, originally ran away from their home in Austin, Chicago, USA, on 5 July after Independence Day fireworks celebrations startled him.
Moses and her family spent the following weeks searching for their dog and distributing missing posters, unaware that Kobe - who isn't microchipped - had been taken in by shelter Fetching Tails the day after he escaped.
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The shelter subsequently microchipped and neutered Kobe, as well as treating an ear infection, before rehoming him.
In a bid to be reunited with her dog, Moses attended a Fetching Tails fundraiser on Wednesday, however, she was subsequently sent a cease and desist letter from the shelter's lawyers.
Speaking to CBS Chicago, she said: "I have never experienced this in my life. This is so hard.
"I think we have a very big, but simple issue here, but if dialogue is not even open, then we can't even get started.
"Get your dog chipped, and then you wouldn't be going through this. So, that is the biggest lesson."
Moses has since been offered support by local councillor Alderman Raymond Lopez, who said Kobe was a 'family member' to Moses and was being 'held hostage'.
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In a Facebook post on Thursday, he said: "This is an unintended consequence of decreasing the stray hold to a shorter time frame thereby giving owners a smaller window to find their lost pet. Sadly this happens more often than we know about.
"I tried to address this previously but was told by our Department of Law that legally, once an animal passes the three-day stray hold threshold, they are now legally considered city property and can be adopted, transferred to a rescue or euthanized regardless if the owner discovers them after that time frame.
"It is unfortunate that the rescue has refused to do the right thing and return the animal to its rightful owner. An animal advocate friend of mine has a saying, 'Pets don't always need a new home, sometimes they just need to go home.'"
According to CBS Chicago, Fetching Tails' lawyer, Andre Wrighte, said: "The new owners are aware of what's been going on. But none of that matters. There is a legal contract."
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Mr Wrighte added that the new owners are not interested in meeting with Moses.
Featured Image Credit: CBS Chicago