BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – It’s a dog fight happening at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Brazoria County, but it’s not in the way you may expect.
Julie Ann is the owner of a Yorkie Malta named Penny. On Thursday, October 10, 2024, Julie Ann’s friend was watching Penny, but Penny escaped. Despite her sadness over her dog’s disappearance, Julie Ann remained hopeful that she would find Penny.
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After searching for Penny and conducting research, Julie Ann discovered her dog Penny on the Lake Jackson Humane Department’s Facebook page two weeks later.
On October 10, 2024, the Lake Jackson Humane Department posted, “This super friendly lady has been loose in the 200 Block of Acacia St. She will be hanging out in our office for now, so contact us if this is your dog. She is wearing a collar, and the owner will have to name the color. She will be transported to the SPCA in the morning if nobody claims her.”
Julie Ann contacted the SPCA of Brazoria County right away after seeing the Lake Jackson Humane Department’s Facebook post in the hopes of reuniting with Penny again. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
The President of Directors of SPCA of Brazoria County, Beate Damm, told Julie Ann, “By law, the SPCA of Brazoria County is required to hold an animal for three days to allow owners the opportunity to reclaim them. In this case, we held the dog for five days, two days beyond the legal requirement, before allowing the adoption to proceed.”
Julie Ann was devastated. Penny had already been adopted, and she begged and pleaded repeatedly, “I just want my dog back. Please just give me my dog back.”
Julie Ann also informed the SPCA of Brazoria County that she had medical records and proof to demonstrate her stance in retrieving her dog, Penny. However, Julie Ann says the SPCA of Brazoria County disregarded the medical records and proof. According to the SPCA of Brazoria County, “Legally, the adopters now own the dog, and we are unable to retrieve the animal as it is no longer in our possession.”
Since Julie Ann has come out and stated that Penny is her dog, the SPCA of Brazoria County has not made any move to reunite them. Julie Ann is devastated by this and will not give up without having to fight for her dog, Penny.
KPRC 2 contacted the SPCA of Brazoria County to inquire about the steps a previous owner may take to return their dog after it had been adopted. Their reply was: “Unfortunately, once the adopters sign the contract and pay for the adoption fee, the dog legally becomes the property of the adopter, and therefore it is out of the control of our organization.”
SPCA of Brazoria County did want KPRC 2 to know that they did reach out to the adopters and let them know what is going on. But they did express that “It is in their hands at this point.”
We will be following this story as it is developing and will update once we learn more.
