SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Niki Karanastasis lost her dog, then found it -- only to lose it again.
Karanastasis was reunited with her missing dog at the local animal shelter six days after the golden retriever escaped from her backyard. But she won't be able to keep her beloved pet since the 2-year-old dog had been adopted by a new owner just hours earlier.
Humane Society officials said their hands are tied because they're required to put stray dogs up for adoption five days after they're picked up if they don't have ID tags. Tagged animals are held for 10 days, but Bella, the Karanastasis' pooch, didn't have one.
Bella was taken to the Santa Clara shelter on Jan. 2 after the golden retriever and a companion dog, a black Labrador named Zina, escaped from Karanastasis' yard. Zina still hasn't been found.
Karanastasis, her husband and a friend visited the shelter three times before she spotted the dog on Jan. 8. She said Bella jumped up and down and responded to commands in Greek -- proof, she said, it's her dog.
"I couldn't believe it. How could this happen?" Karanastasis asked. "I was looking at her, playing with her, but I couldn't have her. How could they tell me, `You don't own this dog?"'
Karanastasis and her friend begged the new owner to return the dog. But the woman said it was a present for her daughter's birthday and declined their offer to buy her another golden retriever.
Karanastasis was reunited with her missing dog at the local animal shelter six days after the golden retriever escaped from her backyard. But she won't be able to keep her beloved pet since the 2-year-old dog had been adopted by a new owner just hours earlier.
Humane Society officials said their hands are tied because they're required to put stray dogs up for adoption five days after they're picked up if they don't have ID tags. Tagged animals are held for 10 days, but Bella, the Karanastasis' pooch, didn't have one.
Bella was taken to the Santa Clara shelter on Jan. 2 after the golden retriever and a companion dog, a black Labrador named Zina, escaped from Karanastasis' yard. Zina still hasn't been found.
Karanastasis, her husband and a friend visited the shelter three times before she spotted the dog on Jan. 8. She said Bella jumped up and down and responded to commands in Greek -- proof, she said, it's her dog.
"I couldn't believe it. How could this happen?" Karanastasis asked. "I was looking at her, playing with her, but I couldn't have her. How could they tell me, `You don't own this dog?"'
Karanastasis and her friend begged the new owner to return the dog. But the woman said it was a present for her daughter's birthday and declined their offer to buy her another golden retriever.
So what if it was the womans dog? The new owner didn't do anything wrong...so why was she expected to just give back the dog to an owner who obviously can't keep her dog in check in the first place, and lose all the money (and also risk her daughters feelings) she put into the dog at the shelter in the first place?
