Beth Adkins and Miles Pequeno are desperately hoping their dog, Mercy, will return home safe before it becomes even colder Monday night.
Adkins and Pequeno said they scheduled walks through an on-demand dog walking app called Wag! Before leaving for a vacation, but as soon as they touched down in Seattle, Washington, they received a call from Wag! The caller told them Mercy got loose.
Adkins said the dog walker fell and accidentally let go of the leash. Monday, they found Mercy’s collar and leash.
“It’s just been a lot. No one ever expects to… I never lost a dog before,” said Adkins.
Adkins and Pequeno adopted Mercy in June. Adkins said after grieving a loss of an older dog earlier this year, they met Mercy at a local shelter and knew. “We looked at each other and, Oh, this is the dog.”
They understand accidents can happen, “but it’s unacceptable that Wag has not trained their people well enough.”
Pequeno said, “They’re trying to protect themselves. Couldn’t be avoided. People fall down. But these are professionals. This is a job you trust to professionals, to take care of your dog.”
They said they’re also frustrated with how Wag has been responding.
“They were just making it seem like I was putting an inconvenience on them. But I don’t think I should be having to force them to help when this is, this is not how any of us wanted to spend our days and nights,” Adkins said.
The volunteers have been searching areas near Loop 360 and Bull Creek in northwest Austin. That’s not far from Mercy’s home.
They’ve also put out some traps. Adkins said, on top of paying for a last minute flight back, they had to pay to put out traps near their home.