ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290131
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER note: below
ENTER A MYSTERY caller who says HE is the lost dog's rightful caretaker.
What started as a simple lost dog story with a small twist is turning out to be not all that simple.
It is the story of Pugsy, who showed up in Roanoke, even though his owner - an Army officer stationed in Germany - had lived in Washington state and has never been here.
But now it turns out that a man living in Roanoke claims to be Pugsy's temporary custodian. And he wants the dog back.
The Roanoke man, who would not identify himself, says owners Randy and Elizabeth Fair left Pugsy with him before heading to Frankfurt, Germany. The man told The Roanoke Times on Tuesday that he and his family moved to the Roanoke area from Seattle five months ago and brought Pugsy with them.
Pugsy then apparently wandered off five Saturdays ago, the man claims.
He said he contacted the Roanoke Animal Control office after news of Pugsy's plight surfaced. He said he was told he would have to pay impoundment and boarding fees to get him back. That could cost him up to $200, he said.
"I've got a 12-year-old daughter," the man said. "I had to tell her, `I can't afford to get your dog.' This whole thing is ridiculous."
The dog had been dropped off at the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter in late April. Tags hanging from his neck mentioned Fort Lewis, an Army post in the state of Washington, where the dog received his last rabies shots.
The Fort Lewis veterinarian told Al Alexander, director of the shelter, the dog's name and that he is registered to Fair. But the vet could not divulge where Fair is stationed.
Enter the staff of U.S. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., which found Fair - at the SPCA's request - at an Army post in Frankfurt. Staffers gave Alexander his phone number.
Fair and his wife, an Army first lieutenant, were baffled as to how Pugsy had gotten to Roanoke. They told Alexander they had left him with good friends in the Fort Lewis area a year ago.
The SPCA launched a campaign to raise Pugsy's $432 air fare to Frankfurt. Within a week, the SPCA had the money and plans to reunite dog and owner.
Alexander said he spoke with the man over the phone about two weeks ago. The man wouldn't give Alexander his name.
"If what this man says is true, where is he?" Alexander asked. "Come down here and tell us who you are. Face the music; pay the fees."
And what of the anonymous caller?
It's really too late now, Alexander said.
"There's a young kid in Germany wanting his dog back," he said. "And I'm going to send him back."
LENGTH: Medium: 55 linesby CNB