Distraught dog owner questions vet clinic after dog disappears

STAFFORD, TX (KTRK) -- A family's dog wandered away Wednesday and was picked up by a veterinary clinic worker, but what sounds like an ideal situation ended up with the dog being lost.

Theresa Tiemann's Yorkshire Terrier named Libby slipped out the back door and was picked up by a worker for the Stafford Oaks Veterinary Clinic. That worker told Tiemann's neighbor where he was taking the dog. However, when Tiemann called the clinic she was told the dog was not there.

"I was calling and was being told she never showed up and wasn't there," Tiemann said.

"(The receptionists) really didn't know she was in the building," said Dr. Alicia Walter with the Stafford Oaks Clinic.

Walter said there was a breakdown in communication and the dog was reportedly handed off to another employee's friend who, upon realizing he couldn't keep her, ended up letting Libby loose in a nearby park.

"We are sorry this happened," Walter said. "Our priority is, we absolutely want to get Libby back to her family safe and sound."

Walter said the clinic sent staffers to hang flyers and look for the dog. She said the clinic is also offering a $500 reward for the dog's safe return, and the employees involved have been suspended.

"We would of course never purposefully try to cause someone the emotional anguish she is going through right now," Walter said.

Tiemann questions whether the employees involved are being honest and she said she fears the dog was sold.

She hopes if someone did unknowingly purchase or pick up the dog, they realize what happened and return her. She also said this is a great reminder for pet owners to get their animals micro-chipped, something she regrets not doing for Libby.