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Man finds missing dog, wants double the reward money

The man who found their missing Stanley called them and asked for a $1000 reward instead of the $500 they had offered.

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - A Memphis couple is happy to have their missing dog back. However, they're less happy that the person who found him tried to negotiate double their reward offer to return him.

"We cried every night because he is our baby,” said owner Margaret Tong.

Margaret and her husband were desperate to find their 9-month-old German Shepherd named Stanley.

She was housesitting for her sister in Crosstown when Stanley dug his way under a fence and escaped on Saturday.

"Looked all over the neighborhood,” Margaret said. “Couldn't find him.”

The Tong's put up fliers in Crosstown offering a $500 reward for Stanley.

They got a break a few days later on Monday when someone said they saw Stanley with a man in the East Parkway Sam Cooper area.

"The man asked around, ‘Is this your dog? Is this your dog?’ to several people and they said no, so they said so I guess he decided to take him," Margaret said.

The Tong's worried something bad might be happening to Stanley, who is very friendly.

On Wednesday, the man who had Stanley since a week ago, called. Stanley was wearing an ID tag and the man wondered about a reward.

"He called back and he said, ‘If I found your dog, would you be willing to negotiate the reward? I want $1,000,’” Margaret said.

The Tong's said apparently the man decided he didn't want Stanley, who was not well behaved at the man's Whitehaven house.

They met the man, who said he was a Midtown security guard, at a fire station in Whitehaven and got Stanley back for $500.

"Someone whose job is to offer security, offer protection, is doing stuff like that,” Margaret said.

Margaret said she also wanted to warn people about not keeping a careful eye on their pets. She said she saw a lot of dogs with collars roaming around when she was looking for Stanley.

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