Group Joins Memphis Family's Search for Dog Who Disappeared From Animal Control Officer's Custody
For Immediate Release:
July 14, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Cordova, Tenn. — When two dogs escaped from their fenced-in yard on June 24, both 11-year-old Kapone and his sister, Jersey, were picked up by Memphis Animal Services Officer Demetria Hogan—but when their guardians, Brooke and Darrell Shoup, arrived at the animal shelter the next morning to retrieve their beloved dogs, Kapone was missing, and the shelter had no record of his arrival. Officer Hogan, who has yet to explain what happened to Kapone, has since been arrested and charged with two counts of cruelty to animals for her role in Kapone's disappearance. Kapone—a gentle white and brindled pit bull mix with cropped ears, especially loved by the Shoups' young daughter—has now been missing for nearly three weeks, and his family fears that someone might be using him as bait in a dogfighting ring. That's why PETA is offering up to $2,000 for information leading to Kapone's safe return. The Shoups are offering an additional $3,000.
"The Shoup family loves and misses Kapone and is desperate to have him home, safe and sound," says PETA Director Martin Mersereau. "We hope that someone with information will come forward and make it possible for Kapone to be reunited with his family."
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Memphis Police Department at 901-545-COPS.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.