FOREST PARK, Ga. — A Forest Park woman says she has received upsetting text messages, been scammed out of money, and driven miles attempting to meet strangers as she searches for her 1-year-old French bulldog.
Emily Gawel says she let her dog, Phoebe, out into her backyard on the evening of Dec. 7. A short time later, she says she called for her and she did not come.
Gawel says she checked her dog’s air tag location, and that is when she saw she was over a mile away.
“So, I hop into my car. It was seven minutes away where they threw her air tag into a sewer drain and just left it there,” explained Gawel.
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In the days after, she says she posted flyers with her phone number and Phoebe’s picture throughout the area and online.
She says calls and messages began coming in, and one included a photo of Phoebe.
Gawel says the photo showed her 1-year-old puppy lying on a rug in a location she had never seen before. The texter offered to exchange the dog for a $1,000 fee. Gawel paid a portion of the money and went to the agreed-upon location to pay the rest in person.
“My heart was beating so fast. I did not know if she was going to be there…. I did not care about the money at that point, and she did not show,” said Gawel.
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Gawel says that person blocked her, but she is continued to receive texts and calls from other people claiming they bought or have Phoebe.
She says most of those people asking for money to hand over her pup.
Channel 2 has covered the issue of thieves targeting French Bulldogs for months now. The American Kennel Club sharing that for the fifth year in a row, the French Bulldog is still the number one breed thieves’ target.
Emily has increased the reward for her dog to $10,000. You can contact Forest Park Police with any information.
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