Family Fears Memphis Animal Shelter Lost Their Dog

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A Memphis family says the city's animal shelter lost their 11-year old dog almost a week ago and still doesn't know where he is. Now the family has set up a reward and hotline hoping the public can help.

Brooke and Darrell Shoup fear their dog Kapone was stolen or killed. They say they've been given no answers from the city and no access to shelter surveillance cameras.

Kapone is a chocolate and white American Staffordshire Terrier, a breed cousin to the pit bull. The Shoups say Kapone and their other pit bull mix, Jersey, were picked up by Memphis Animal Services last Friday after the two dogs escaped without their collars from the family's yard.

When the Shoups went to get the dogs and pay impound fees the next day, they say shelter workers could only find Jersey. There was no sign of Kapone, although the Shoups say they were given a piece of paper showing Kapone was checked into the shelter.

"He's been our dog for 11 years. I had him since I was 15 years old. He was our child together before we ever had children," Brooke said.

"Where's the chain of custody. Do they not have some sort of procedure they go through so you can keep up with them when they come in?"

Frustrated, the Shoups are now offering a $1,000 reward. They have the support of animal activists, and a former member of the Memphis Animal Services Advisory Board.

"The problem here is personnel. It's one of a dozen cases where people have gone through agony because of the ineptness here," said Allen Iskiwitz.

Information given to FOX13 by concerned citizens suggests 155 dogs went missing from the shelter last year. The city couldn't confirm those numbers for us at news time, but did respond to the Shoups claims. They stated while dispatch records indicate via radio that an animal control officer picked up two dogs in the area of the Shoups home and was en route to the shelter, only one dog was actually processed.

The Shoups are now hoping the public can be of help and have set up an anonymous tip line for information.

The number to call and report information is (901) 528-0699.