Photo: KTLA5
Earlier this month, Josette Psofimis left her dog Olympus with a family member while she went out of town to attend her son’s funeral, KTLAreports. When Psofimis returned home, the pooch had a new family.
The Anaheim native first left Olympus with family on March 5. Before Psofimis had even boarded the plane, her pet had reportedly escaped, Fox 5said.
“Olympus got loose and ran nine miles to try to find me,” she told the outlet, adding that her family neglected to immediately tell her about Olympus running away for fear that she would be “too emotional” with her son’s funeral.
“As a standard, we always scan for a microchip and identification,” Mike Kaviani, the Orange County Animal Care Director, told Fox 5.
“Olympus is a very friendly, highly-adoptable dog. He’s a young, friendly, yellow Labrador retriever, so it’s uncommon for a dog of that makeup to be an animal shelter for that long,” Kaviani added to the outlet.
When Psofimis returned from the funeral on March 13, she learned that Olympus was gone — and under the ownership of a new family.
Because that family is now technically the new legal guardian of the pup, the shelter said it’s up to them as to whether or not they want to give Olympus back to Psofimis.
“We can all agree how this just tugs at your heart and what both families have experienced and the dog in the middle of it,” Kaviani said to Fox 5.
RELATED VIDEO: Dog Missing For Over Two Weeks Reunites With Owner
Orange County Animal Care did, however, agree to help Psofimis write a letter to Olympus’ new owners in hopes that they will return her beloved pet.
In the meantime, Psofimis and her family, including her granddaughter Olivia Gonzalez, said they won’t stop trying until Olympus is back in their possession.
“He was ours and will always be ours,” Gonzalez told Fox 5. “I’m not going to stop fighting to get him back.”
source: people.com
