TIGARD, Ore. -- A Tigard family was heartbroken when their dog escaped, and then were told they wouldn’t be getting the dog back.
“I really miss ‘Olly,’” said 9-year-old Owen Mayberry. “I want my dog back.”
“She's adorable, she has the kindest eyes,” said Owen’s mom, Kate Mayberry, of their shepherd mix. They adopted the dog from All Terrier Rescue Hunter’s Crossing, in April.
Mayberry said on Wednesday morning, Olly escaped from their fenced-in back yard.
“We think she jumped on the chair and over the fence,” said Mayberry.
Thankfully, someone found Olly and brought her to Banfield Pet Hospital in Tigard. Veterinarians scanned Olly's microchip which traced back to All Terrier Rescue. Mayberry called the nonprofit, hoping to get Olly back.
“It just started from there,” said Mayberry.
Mayberry said after initially agreeing to return Olly, Samantha Miller with All Terrier Rescue, sent the Mayberrys a string of accusatory text messages.
“She just started going off about us being terrible pet owners and [Olly’s] behavior being atrocious, but she never told us what she was doing,” said Mayberry.
“They think we're mistreating her,” said Owen, who disagreed.
Mayberry said after Miller texted her that they might not get Olly back, her family filed a police report.
“When the police reached out to [Miller], she texted us we weren't getting [Olly] back,” said Mayberry.
On Thursday, Mayberry went to PetSmart in Tigard, where All Terrier Rescue was holding an adoption event. A friend recorded an exchange between Mayberry and Miller.
“You're just here to cause a scene,” Miller told Mayberry in the video.
“No, we're not, we're here to get our dog because we're worried about her,” said Mayberry.
“Any more and we're done,” said Miller. “You will never see the dog again. I'm not kidding. One more word.”
Mayberry said she felt like Miller was pulling a power trip.
“I think she just wants us to go away so she can re-adopt [Olly] out,” said Mayberry.
When KGW reached out to All Terrier Rescue, Miller said that she didn’t know what we were talking about. When asked if she would return Olly to the Mayberrys, Miller hung up.
Calls made by KGW to All Terrier Rescue’s attorney, Geordie Duckler, were not returned. However, Mayberry said on Friday night, Duckler called her husband, and told him he would draw up a contract, negotiating Olly’s return. Mayberry said she would believe that when they had Olly back.
In the meantime, Owen continued to take comfort in his memories of Olly.
“Olly totally just came and licked my face off!” said Own. “It was the best.”
