Beloved dog in Chesapeake lost, stolen, then found

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — It was a stroke of misfortune for a Chesapeake family to lose their beloved dog, and yet another when a stranger claimed it as their own. And while police were able to reunite Bentley, the dog, with his rightful owner, they and the other parties involved are using this as a cautionary tale.

Lost pets get posted to social media frequently, with neighbors simply trying to find the animal’s rightful owner. Nehemiah Smith, Bentley’s owner, said he was the family’s best friend.

“I missed him,” Smith said. “I just missed everything about him.”

In this case, a Nextdoor post led to a stranger claiming Bentley.

Smith’s neighbor, Bridget Barone, found Bentley after he had gotten out of Smith’s home over the weekend. And, like many who find a lost pet, she posted it to the social media website, Nextdoor, in an effort to find the dog’s owner, unaware that Bentley was her neighbor’s dog.

Soon after, someone reached out to claim Bentley. The only problem? It wasn’t Nehemiah. It was a complete stranger.

“I wanted it to get out there as much as possible and I posted it every single day,” Barone said.

Barone helped spread the word about what happened, even offering doorbell camera footage that showed the car the person who picked Bentley up was driving, a pivotal piece of information for Chesapeake police.

“They literally had just brought him to the door,” Smith said. “I was upstairs. I literally had just said a prayer about him.”

Chesapeake police tracked down the person who had taken the dog, Bentley’s hair shaved and a little shaken, but returned. The family reminds anyone who finds a lost pet, to ask for identification and photos when someone comes to claim them

“Call animal control, and report them to animal control and give the owner a chance to look for them,” Barone said.

Also, be cautious when using social media, because some pets who end up in the wrong hands, could be lost forever.

“I’m grateful,” Smith said. “I’m just ready for him to grow his hair back. He’s gonna grow his hair back nice and long. We’re gonna keep him nice and taken care of and we’re gonna keep it going, keep on chugging every day.”

Chesapeake Police are continuing to investigate this incident and Bentley’s owners plan to press charges.

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