Shelter Says Lab Was Adopted Out Of The State
Sam is not coming home to the Snyder family.
That is the final word from Wetzel County Animal Shelter Director Rosy Cozart concerning the issue of a purebred labrador retriever missing from Monroe County that ended up in the Wetzel County Animal Shelter.
According to Clark and Nathan Snyder, their family dog was missing from its Monroe County home when a neighbor, whose dog was also missing, left a note telling the family their pet was at the WCAS. Nathan received the note on Jan. 21. He immediately called the shelter and asked them to hold four-year-old Sam until Jan. 26 when his father would return from Wisconsin where he was attending to a family emergency.
The Snyders told county commissioners Jan. 27 Nathan had called the shelter and asked how much it would cost to keep the dog there until Jan. 26. They were told to call back Jan. 23 and talk to Cozart.
Nathan called back on Jan. 21 and asked if he could pick up the dog that day. They were reportedly told that they were closing then and it wasn’t possible.
“I went to pick the dog up yesterday morning,” Clark told the commission Jan. 26. The shelter doesn’t open until 11 a.m., after Clark had to be at work. So he called and left a message concerning the dog and they called back to tell him someone had adopted the dog, but they wouldn’t tell him when.
State law says if a dog is not picked up from an animal shelter in five days, it becomes the county’s property. “That was never told to us,” said Clark.
“I am frustrated. The dog was there on Wednesday when he called. I assumed everything was fine. I think it’s an injustice to us.”
The commissioners were concerned why the shelter would even take a dog from the neighboring state. “We don’t usually take animals from Ohio,” said Commissioner Bob Gorby.
The commissioners, obviously concerned about the situation, said they could talk with Cozart and look into the matter.
“I hope we can find your dog,” Commission President Don Mason told the Snyders.
Later that day the commissioners said they had talked with Cozart by phone and asked her to try to retrieve the animal if possible.
She told the Wetzel Chronicle Tuesday there is no way to get the dog back; it was adopted out of state. “Everything was done legally, that’s all I can say,” stated Cozart.