CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “Please return him home to us, we really miss him and we just want him home,” says west Charlotte resident Seaira Wolf. Her dog Franklin, a black mini dachshund, is missing. He’s been gone more than a week now.
Wolf dropped him off at a dog sitter’s home in the University area. The sitter says he got out of her yard. Wolf has been out knocking on doors, talking to neighbors and even hired scent tracking dogs to help find Franklin. She thinks someone who may have been driving a black Honda Accord has him. Wolf says, “The scent ended right where the neighbor said they saw him being lured into the car.”
Michelle Wilson of Epic Animal Recovery used her scent tracking dogs in the search for Franklin. She tells WCCB, “…from the information we have from a witness along with what the dogs have told us, there is a strong possibility that this happened.”
Posters of Franklin have gone up around the area where he was last seen. That, coupled with social media posts and TV news coverage, is pressure that Wilson wants. She says, “I have had cases where the dog(s) get dropped back off in the area due to all the pressure…we need to put enough pressure out there that they can’t enjoy having him…”
Wolf is offering $1,000 cash reward, no questions asked, for Franklin’s safe return. She says, “If you see anyone that’s gotten this new dog in the past week, that’s not their dog, that’s our dog, and we’re really desperate to bring him home. We just want him home.”
WCCB has contacted the dog sitter, but she has not replied. We also contacted Rover, the website Wolf hired the dog sitter through. A Rover spokesperson tell us in part, “As soon as we learned he was missing, our team took action to support the search, including offering a $500 reward, paying for flyers, and posting in online pet-finding websites, which send alerts to local shelters and veterinarians.” Rover also says, “We have suspended the sitter’s account on our platform while our 24/7 Trust and Safety team conducts a thorough investigation.”