SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Update as of Thursday, February 3, 2022: Since the original story aired, the San Diego Sheriff's Office has assigned a detective to this case. On February 2, the agency told CBS8 their detective found the couple, but they do not have the dog. The search continues.
Losing your dog is bad enough. However, getting a call from someone demanding money or you'll never see him again is quite another.
A Rancho San Diego woman says that's exactly what's happening to her.
Meelo is a 1-and-a-half-year-old Husky.
The owner says he was last seen in an RV parked at Clarendon and Second streets with a man and woman believed to be his girlfriend.
That RV has since disappeared, which has left her feeling helpless.
“I'm waiting for a miracle,” said Rawan Alshammari.
Alshammari says she's been crying every day since January 12, when her beloved Husky, Meelo, somehow got out of her apartment.
"My room window, the screen window was broken and he was gone. I don’t have evidence to show if he was stolen or escaped."
Alshammari posted fliers around her neighborhood and surrounding areas.
She also took her pleas to Facebook and Nextdoor.
Finally, after nearly three weeks, she received a message this past weekend from someone who said they spotted Meelo with a couple who appeared to be living out of their RV near Clarendon and Second Streets in El Cajon.
So, she called the San Diego Sheriff's Department.
“I tried to make a report. I called five to six times. I went in person. They told me you have to wait. I waited like 10 hours and then I got a phone call from a sheriff," said Alshammari. "She was telling me that basically, it's not a crime so they can't really do anything,"
Desperate, she took matters into her own hands. On Sunday, Alshammari went to the RV herself to retrieve Meelo.
“I knocked on the door. I could hear my dog inside. I kept knocking the door no one opened the door.”
Alshammari’s friend returned the following day and placed a flier near the RV with her phone number, in hopes the people who have Meelo would get in touch.
They did, but are now demanding money for the dog.
Alshammari says she's willing to pay, but wanted a picture of Meelo as proof. That's when things took a turn.
"He said it's too late now and go get a new Husky and he also said you'll never see your dog again," claims Alshammari.
Alshammari reached out to CBS 8 for help.
Reporter Shannon Handy called and texted the number which allegedly belongs to the couple who have Meelo. No one has responded.
At this point, Alshammari doesn't know where Meelo is since the RV is gone.
But, she says she's not giving up until he's home.
“He's my child. I don’t care if people call me crazy. He's my child. He's my everything. I'm gonna do everything I can to get him back. I'm not gonna stop and give up on him knowing he's out there.”
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