Many pedigree dogs go missing, often stolen to sell on or breed from. Steph needed to contact us for a polygraph examination in Galway to finally be reunited with her prize pooch.
Steph and Wayne’s case
The puppy was beautiful, just what Steph had always wanted. The golden retriever was bought for her by her husband Wayne and when she went missing Steph was devastated. They’d checked all the local vets and rescue centres but nothing. They’d plastered posters everywhere and even offered a reward but still the dog wasn’t found.
A case of mistaken identity?
They were walking through the park, around a month after their beloved Penny had gone missing and they spotted a dog that looked exactly like her. She was Penny and Steph was sure of it. As they approached the dog came running over to them, jumping up and barking. The man walking her was a local. He lived in the next street to them and had a reputation for stealing. Wayne approached him and said it was his dog. All he needed to do was check the chip in the back of her neck. The man explained he’d had the dog from 6 weeks old and there was no way it was their dog.
He offered to take them to his vet, who he said would confirm the dog was his having microchipped it. Steph and Wayne agreed. The vet scanned the chip and said it wasn’t their dog. This left Steph devastated all over again.
Still suspicious
Steph was sure the dog was Penny but how could the chip not be in their name? Maybe she was going mad she thought, but she contacted us for a polygraph examination in Galway. After a discussion with us she went to the dog owner to ask him to take the lie detector test. He agreed to it without hesitation. Maybe Steph was seeing something that wasn’t there after all.
Polygraph examination in Galway
The day of the test arrived and they picked up the ‘owner’. When the test was completed the results showed that the man hadn’t owned the dog from 6 weeks old. He had bought it from someone in the local pub around a month prior. He’d spent a small fortune on the dog but he agreed to give the dog back to Steph and Wayne. He’d lied about having the dog from 6 weeks old as he was scared to lose her.
Homeward bound
The reunion was great, Steph had Penny back but the man was also deeply upset to lose the dog. His little girl had become quite attached to Penny as Penny had to her. Steph agreed she could come and take Penny for walks whenever she liked. Penny was happy to be home and to have two families making a fuss of her.
Speaking to her vet, Steph asked what could be done about the microchip. She didn’t understand how Penny had been microchipped by the other vet. Her vet explained that since Penny was a puppy the other vet wouldn’t have scanned her for an existing chip so she now had two. When they had gone to the other vet, he knew he had microchipped her so he would have only scanned that area. In liaison with the other vet, Steph’s vet cancelled the offending microchip on the database.
Note that the microchip is not proof of ownership of an animal. It has to be supported by other documentation such as a receipt or pet passport, medical history etc.
Resolving disputes
Do you think someone has something that belongs to you? A fast track method of establishing the truth is a lie detector test. If you’d like to discuss a polygraph examination in Galway or elsewhere in contact us. Our free helpline on 85 176 3360 is completely confidential. You can also make a reservation using our secure online booking system.