KC Pet Project finds woman’s lost pet, then gives it to someone else

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Joy quickly turned to sadness for a woman who has been looking for her lost dog for nearly a decade. KC Pet Project says the length of ownership and most recent possession are considered when deciding where to place a pet.

“She was my world. I know she’s just a dog to some people but she was my baby,” Denise Ibarra said.

Rosie, a Shih-Tzu-Chihuahua mix, was a big part of Denise Ibarra’s childhood.

“She’s kayaked with me through rivers and lakes. She hiked up with me to the Hollywood sign. She was my everything,” Ibarra said.

9 years ago, when Ibarra was about 18 years old, Rosie disappeared somehow from the family’s front yard in Kansas City Kansas.

“The next day we made these flyers and we just posted them everywhere and I posted them for months,” she said.

Michaela Remington says she found the dog with a rope around its neck running in Olathe.

“When I found her 9 years ago I did put out information and I contacted shelters everybody trying to find her original family but nobody ever reached back out,” Remington explained.

When Remington lost her this month and she ended up at KC Pet Project, it was Ibarra who got the call that she was starting to believe would never come. But just as they were preparing to give her Rosie based on the microchip information, Remington showed up looking for the dog she calls Norma. Ibarra showed them Facebook posts looking for her lost dog from 2015. Remington was able to show KC Pet Project recent photos.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I have these documents, she’s chipped, I’ve always kept her up to date and you guys are telling me you are not giving me my dog back?” Ibarra questioned.

Animal law attorney and legal counsel for KC Pet Project said in a statement, “Animal shelters across the country run into this issue every day. While shelters must perform due diligence to find the rightful owner, ultimately, the decision of the rightful owner is reserved for a judge in a replevin action. Disputes in ownership are handled between the parties through our judicial system.”

Ibarra says she plans to fight to get her dog back if she can find an attorney to represent her, though she’s disappointed she has to.

“I almost felt like I was getting guilt-tripped for wanting to bring Rosie back into my house. They need better training and procedures in place,” she said.

Remington says she empathizes with Ibarra and her family, but adds she has a child around the same age Ibarra was when she first got her more than 15 years ago.

“Just know that she really is loved and she really is taken care of,” Remington said.

Records of the dispute from KC Pet Project state it is their policy to change the dog’s name and microchip information whenever an animal is reclaimed which happened when Rosie/Norma was given to Remington. So if the dog were ever to end up at a shelter again only the latest owners would be notified.

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