An Oceanside, California, woman was surprised to see her missing 9-month-old puppy on the news after it disappeared shortly after Thanksgiving.
The puppy owner, Salina Hurtado, was in disbelief after watching a news report describing how a dog was wounded during a police chase in Valley Center.
The dog was accidentally shot by police when a man allegedly tried to run the officers over in a stolen van that the dog was in.
She quickly recognized the dog in the footage as her white pit bull, Catalina, which has distinctive spots.
“I felt hurt. I couldn’t believe it was her. I was shocked,” Hurtado said in an email.
They searched the area for her, but couldn’t find her. They started to believe someone had taken her.
A week after Catalina went missing, someone told Hurtado’s husband that they had seen Catalina on the news.
After watching the report, the couple contacted the news station and learned that she had been taken to the County of San Diego Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad.
The worried puppy owner said she went to the animal shelter with photos and veterinary documents to reclaim Catalina, but was told that the pit bull has to be kept there for another week by law.
For 14 days after an animal comes in, the county is legally required to let anyone contest someone’s claim of ownership if the animal is not licensed or microchipped, Dan DeSousa, director of the county’s animal services department, told the Tribune. Catalina didn’t have a license or a microchip.
Hurtado was able to see Catalina at the animal shelter for a short while, however. “I am grateful that she is safe now,” Hurtado said.
Kevin Meza, the suspect who was arrested after the high-speed chase, claimed the dog was his, according to the Tribune.
“I’m so happy she’s healing great and hopefully she can come home soon,” Hurtado said on her GoFundMe page.
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