NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A dog owner is making a plea after her dog escaped in a shopping center parking lot, was found by animal services and then adopted.
On July 20, owner Cynthia Kivlan and her mom went to a Home Depot in North Miami Beach and took her dog Ruby with her. As she was getting out of the car, noises that sounded like fireworks broke out, spooking Ruby who then ran off in the parking lot.
Kivlan said she searched for Ruby but was not able to locate her. She learned a week later that Ruby had been adopted.
“I really loved her, and I drove cross country with her. We went to all the state parks we could,” Kivlan said.
Now, the 4-year-old toy Chihuahua is gone. Kivlan said she rescued Ruby in California and is devastated knowing that her pet is in the arms of another family.
After Ruby went missing, Kivlan said she did everything she could to find her.
“We started looking for her, and we stayed all night until the next day,” Kivlan said. “I was calling her name, screaming. We had other people helping us.”
Then on July 27, Kivlan saw in a Facebook post that Ruby was up for adoption at Miami-Dade Animal Services.
The adoption center was closed, so she emailed them and went to the center the following morning. That’s when she found out that Ruby had already been adopted.
“By the time I got there, just by a matter of hours, it was too late,” she said.
Ruby was adopted the day before.
Miami-Dade Animal Services reached out to the person who adopted Ruby but have not received a response.
“Of course we would like her back, but the main thing is to know that she’s OK,” said Kivlan’s mother Bonnie Befort.
Kivlan fears that Ruby was injured because in the picture posted on social media, her back leg appeared twisted.
The people who have Ruby have now legally adopted her. However, Kivlan hopes that they will see her story and give her back.
“I hope that somebody could find it in their hearts to please bring her back to me,” Kivlan said. “She was my best friend. I love her.”
Kivlan told 7News that Ruby had a microchip, but it was outdated and needed a new number.
If the family who adopted Ruby would like to give her back to Kivlan, she asks that they call Miami-Dade Animal Services.
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