In a twist which can only be described as disheartening, the man who was just reunited with his dog, who was impounded at the San Bernardino, Calif., city animal shelter, has apparently turned on the woman who made that reunion possible.
Late Wednesday afternoon, that individual, Maria Sanchez, posted the dismal news to her many Facebook followers. According to Sanchez, Thomas phoned KTLA News and accused her of "stealing" donated funds.
To backtrack on how this saga began, the man, Dave Thomas, was separated from his dog, "Buzz," after he was taken to jail for traffic violations.
Sanchez was visiting the shelter on the same day that Thomas was visiting his incarcerated dog and she overheard what had happened. Touched by the sad scene, she made it her mission to reunite the pair.
Sanchez snapped a poignant photo of the man and his dog, and posted it, along with what she had overheard while at the facility, on Facebook.
The one snafu in reuniting the man with his dog was a lack of information.
Thomas had left the facility without giving anyone there his name or contact information. After what can only be described as a deluge of support from people across the nation, Thomas was identified and located.
On Tuesday, thousands were overjoyed as the pair were reunited and faith in humanity, if for just a moment, was restored.
But today, that joy is overshadowed with ugliness. Sanchez is disheartened and exhausted, as well as feeling betrayed by the very man who she tried to help.
The publication, LAist, posted Sanchez's Facebook post, which reads:
I just got a phone call from KTLA channel 5. Apparently, Dave has called to inform them that I am keeping the money raised for his dog. I have transferred $842.07 into my bank to reimburse myself for the shelter fees, vet and PetSmart shopping spree that I put onto my personal credit card. I had a discussion regarding the remainder of the donations and how he would like to spend them. I said it would be a good idea to pay off any outstanding tickets so that he will not be taken to jail in the future for having a warrant for unpaid traffic tickets. I asked if he had any bills that were due at the time. I told him that every dime that was donated would go to him and Buzz, but that I would not be giving him the cash. I explained to him that the money that was donated was a blessing for him, I wanted to be sure that we respected that and used the donations responsibly. He sat next to me and nodded his head, Not one response, question or concern.
After I hung up with KTLA channel 5, I tried to call Dave. His wife would not let me speak to him. She screamed at me that I was stealing their dog’s money. She said they have called the news stations and that if I did not give them their money, they were going to call the police.
I am exhausted from this entire experience. This is the last thing I needed or expected. I will not be giving Dave or his wife one single penny, what I will do is refund the money that was donated to Dave. I have had my life and the lives of my children devastated by drug addiction. I will play no part in supporting anyone’s habit. I just can’t.
That being said, if you would like me to refund your donation that was made for Dave, please email me at mcs1030@aol.com and put REFUND as the subject. I will send the refund tonight. If you would like to transfer your donation that was for Dave to another urgent animal in this album, please email mcs1030@aol.com and put DONATE TO URGENT SBC DOG. I will put your donation towards a homeless animal that will live or die depending on whether or not a rescue has the funds to help them. If I do not get a response within 1 week of this posting, I will refund the amount donated with an explanation of why it is being refunded. I know not all who have donated will see this post.
So to sum this up, I have been reimbursed for all expense to rescue Buzz from the high kill San Bernardino City Shelter and reunite him with his owner Dave Thomas. There are donations leftover. The donations will NOT go to Dave after the stunt he has pulled. If you still want Dave to have your donation, I will have to ask you to send it to him personally. I do not have an email for him, maybe he will post it.
No good deed goes unpunished, right?
Thank you for understanding why I cannot proceed with this as planned. For those who disagree with my decision, please keep your thoughts to yourself. I don’t think I can take another hit right now.
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I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
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