Service dog lost during hurricane allegedly held for ransom

It’s so devastating to know there are still individuals who likes to benefit from other people’s misfortune. Sadly, that’s exactly what happened to Dawn Evins who lost her precious service dog after Hurricane Harvey approached her Texas neighborhood. However, what happened afterwards leave us completely speechless and make us lose faith in humanity.

Freddie is a service dog and we all know how important these creatures are to those with both physical and emotional disabilities. They help their owners function properly and are their most loyal companions, so when Evins lost Freddie she felt as though her world turned upside down in the instant. Freddie apparently got scared both by the bad weather and by a car that rushed right into him which made the poor dog run away.

“I was walking down 529 down Barker Cypress and it was raining real bad,” Evins told ABC 13. “He took off running behind that church and I never saw him again.”

Evins was offered help by a friend of hers. Jennifer Williams and Evins created a Facebook page and made flyers believing that kind hearted people may take a notice of Freddie and return him to her.

Evins who was completely heartbroken was outside on the streets calling Freddie’s name for ten long days in hopes of finding him, before she finally received the call she was praying for. Some people found her dog, only they weren’t willing to bring it back unless she paid them some cash. Freddie was held for ransom.

“[The man said] ‘Are you the dog’s owner?’ I was like ‘Yes.” He’s like ‘I have your dog but I’m telling you right now nonnegotiable $300 for your dog or you will never see your dog again,’” Evins recalls.

She simply couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I didn’t even know how to respond to it, absolutely mortified for my friend,” said Williams. “It was so bizarre…”

She desperately wanted to take Freddie back, and finding that much money wasn’t easy because she is homeless and has no finances, but her love for Freddie is so strong that she did her best to pay the man what he asked for. She finally met him, handed him the money, and could embrace her furry friend. Luckily, she has a recording of the conversation with the guy.

“It picked up everything the transaction from when he took the money,” said Williams.

Freddie was extremely happy to be reunited with his owner after that much time. “He’s never been like that where he’s just crying and going crazy,” Evins says. “(Freddie) calms me down. I have seizures so he helps me with that.”

Although she is still pretty upset about the whole thing, she is happy to have Freddie by her side again. The two are best friends who love each other endlessly. As for the incident, Evins had already filed a report and handed the video recording as an evidence. She hopes the bad guy will be brought to justice.

Spread the love