UPDATE: A woman has come forward to claim the dog that was found with “free” written on its fur in black marker. According to NBC Bay Area, she has medical records, pictures, and witness testimony to prove she’s the owner of the dog. She says she has no idea how the dog escaped and ended up over 60 miles away. Police believe she has nothing to do with the abandonment or writings on the fur.
Someone found this dog, tied it to a tree and wrote “Free” and “I need a good home” on her fur in black marker. Shannon Bettencourt stumbled across the dog in Benicia, California.
NY Daily News
“The first thing I thought was to call the police but then I was like no, they’re going to call animal control,” Bettencourt said. “I didn’t know what could happen from there. I was like no way, I’ll at least keep her for the night.”
NY Daily News
Bettencourt fell in love with the dog and planned to adopt her until the news broke about the original owner stepping up to claim her dog.
Either way, it looks like a happy ending for this dog after a disgusting act of cruelty. We may never know who was responsible for the dog’s mistreatment.
