Woman files restraining order against man claiming she adopted his dog

GEORGIA -- A Clarke County woman says she adopted a dog from a shelter and then three months later a man called saying it was his dog and he wanted it back.

The woman told Channel 2’s Craig Lucie she had to file a protective and stalking order against the man.
             
When Heather Blalock spotted the dog she named Molly, she was in love.

Three months later she says she several calls from a man saying that the dog she adopted was his.

“You adopt an animal and you want it to be a part of your family. You don’t expect this to happen,” said Blalock.

This is what Blalock says happened when she adopted Molly at the Athens-Clarke County Animal Shelter.

She filled out paperwork with her phone number, address and other personal information. Months later, Jeremy Sweeney called her.

“Stating he had lost his dog and wanted her back and he had all of my contact information from the animal shelter,” Blalock said.

Sweeney had filed an open records request and tracked Blalock down.

“I’m not happy about this. I shouldn’t have to have the fear of someone lurking around wanting her back,” said Blalock.

She says Sweeney kept harassing her so she filed a stalking and restraining order against him.

Lucie tracked Sweeney down and asked him point blank about the allegations.

“You never threatened her in any way?” Lucie asked Sweeney.

 “No! No! I don’t have a single violent crime. I’m not a violent person. I think it’s absurd. I’m just a man trying to get my dog back. The info I got is on social media. Don’t put your work number of Facebook if you don’t want people calling you at work, girl. You know what I mean? Every in the world can call her, and she cusses me out for calling her,” Sweeney said.

Blalock says he never proved Molly was his dog. He did show Lucie pictures of when he says she was a puppy. She has a different name too.

“Bam! There’s my dog…there’s Zeta as a puppy,” Sweeney told Lucie, showing him pictures.

Lucie went to Athens-Clarke County Animal Control and the director referred him to the county spokesperson but she did say when Sweeney filed an open records request they followed Georgia law and had to give him the information.

A county spokesman called Lucie and reiterated the same message.

“I think there needs to be a change in the policy,” Blalock said.

Blalock said her dog was at the shelter for two weeks before she adopted her.

Sweeney says he went twice and they were supposed to call him if a dog came in fitting her description. He says when her picture popped up on the shelter’s website, he called again and it was too late.

“I’m going to go get a lawyer, go to the courthouse and basically get Athens-Clarke Animal Control in trouble for not informing me they had my dog for two weeks. You had my dog after I called you,” Sweeney said.

Animal control said owners have five days until they will put dogs up for adoption.

(WSBTV - Dec 10, 2015)