‘Dog Flipping’ Is The New Craigslist Scam: Owners Forced To Buy Back Missing Dog Despite Microchip Proving Ownership

A Texas family was forced to buy back their missing dog from a Craigslist ad despite having proof that the dog belonged to them via microchip identification. The Lowe family from Harris County, Texas, says that their 11-year-old terrier named Sushi went missing from their backyard through a small hole in the fence. After the disappearance, a dog that looked just like Sushi showed up on Craigslist in what is being described as a “dog flipping” scheme. The family scheduled a meetup with the seller and determined the dog was in fact Sushi, but was still required to pay for the pet despite the identification.

ABC7 reports that their terrier, Sushi, went missing from their backyard. Shortly after the disappearance, the family received a “strange” phone call about the missing dog. After calling the number back, the person on the other end of the phone denied knowing anything about Sushi, but the family remained suspicious. A few weeks later a dog identical to Sushi was placed on Craigslist for sale and the Lowes quickly phoned in for more information on the dog. After confronting the seller, the ad was removed and the trail to find their beloved pet went cold. A few days later, a new ad was placed and this time Kara Lowe called in as a potential buyer instead of the dog’s owner and a meeting was setup to look at the dog. A microchip confirmed that the dog was Sushi, and Kara was forced to purchase back her own pet from the Craigslist seller.

Kara notes that when she first went to look at the dog she did not recognize the terrier, as it had been dyed a different color. She says the dog was also apprehensive around her and acted as though it didn’t know her. Despite the confusion over the color and demeanor of the dog, Kara decided to go ahead and purchase the pooch for the $50 fee, as she thought she may have the chance to return the dog to its rightful owner even if it wasn’t Sushi.

After purchasing the dog from the Craigslist seller, Kara says she brought an animal rescuer with her to the buy who brought along a microchip reader. The microchip confirmed what Kara had thought, the dog was Sushi.

“I didn’t think it was her. Her coat was a different color. She’d been dyed. Fifty dollars, and for me, it was priceless. I figured even if it wasn’t Sushi, it was somebody’s dog that we could save and try to return.”

ABC 11 notes that Kara Lowe is now encouraging other pet owners to have their dogs microchipped and to check Craigslist for lost pets. Do you think Craigslist sellers found to be participating in “dog flipping” should be charged in court?

[Image Credit: ABC]