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Last week, we told you a story about Army Private First Class Katelyn Gallagher, who left her bloodhound, Buck, with a friend while on assignment, but returned home to Cleveland to find he’d given the dog away!
Cleveland’s Fox8 has reported that since her story aired, Gallagher received tips that helped her locate the missing dog, as the sitter, a family friend, refused to tell her where Buck was.
Gallagher tracked the 5-year-old hound to a suburb east of the city. She told reporters that when police showed up, the family confirmed that in June they had gotten the dog from Angelo Sullo, the sitter in question, but they are refusing to return her dog.
“Words will never be enough to explain how grateful I am or be able to explain the flush of emotions I felt upon finding Buck’s location, “ Gallagher told Fox8. “I am so thankful that he is alive. Unfortunately, my heartache is not over though. I am sorry for the family Angelo Sullo gave Buck too. I know how amazing of a boy my Buck is, so I can understand how this is a shock for them. Sadly, the family is not willing to return my boy to me. They act as though he should be theirs. I am heartbroken. I am begging this family to do the right thing.”
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Gallagher said she left Buck with Sullo when she went to Army training in May. By the time she came home from in December, he had given the dog away.
Sullo has since pleaded not guilty to petty theft charges.
When asked questions by Fox 8, Sullo would only respond by saying the word “lawyer.”
Gallagher has made it known she’d be happy to pay adoption fees at a local shelter to get the family another dog if they will return Buck.
“I got him when he was a puppy and he is like a son to me,” she said. “I want him back.”