LANSING, Mich. — If you see her, do not approach her, call her name, or try to capture her.
An aggressive Chihuahua named Lacey has been on the loose in Holt since late February.
Lacey's owners, Rae Klavohn and Alyssa Murray, have been searching for the dog since February after she was supposed to be euthanized.
Lacey was a rescue from a “horrible hoarding situation,” Klavohn said, but when she adopted Lacey from the Capital Area Humane Society last year, she was aware of Lacey’s past.
Klavohn was determined to care for and train the dog, but in the end, the Chihuahua was too hard to control.
“No matter what, she still was terrified of most things. And like, she just always seemed scared,” Klavohn said.
The couple went on vacation to Florida on Feb. 21. The Chihuahua stayed home with family members, biting one of them three times as they tried to put her on a leash.
Klavohn and Murray felt this was the last straw. The couple called Eaton County animal control to help their family put Lacey in a kennel, then decided to have the dog humanely euthanized.
Lacey was sent to the Capital Area Humane Society, where employees asked Klavohn if they could evaluate Lacey before going through with the euthanasia. She agreed.
But after the evaluation, no one reached out to the couple with the results, they said. Instead, they saw a Facebook post with Lacey’s picture that said she was missing.
The Chihuahua was allowed to be adopted by a young woman in Holt who was not informed of her biting history. Lacey ran away from the woman’s care and has still not been found.
Klavohn and Murray are trying their best to find Lacey because they believe she is dangerous.
The Capital Area Humane Society gave a slightly different version of events. Penny Myers, the organization's director of community relations, said in a statement that the family members who were caring for Lacey said the dog nipped them but never broke the skin and that Humane Society employees became concerned that "the decision to euthanize Lacey was made out of convenience, rather than what was best for her."
She said Klavohn had agreed to let Lacey be adopted if she passed a behavior evaluation, which the dog had.
"We made her available for adoption, requiring that she be placed in a quiet, child-free home. The new adopter assured us that she would provide the type of home needed for Lacey to be successful. Unfortunately, the adopter was not truthful about her home life, and disregarded our requirements when introducing Lacey to her home," Myers said.
She added that they have brought in "a volunteer who has extensive experience finding lost dogs in our community. This volunteer has been working tirelessly to find Lacey."
The Capital Area Humane Society believes Lacey is not an aggressive dog, she is fearful. If you see Lacey, contact Connie, the volunteer dog catcher at 517-282-9735.
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