I had to go to a business conference for a few days early this month and I hired this Leanne Huston to come to my home to feed my Shih-tzu, Mookie.
Leanne came to my house before the trip bringing her husband (a canine specialist) who helps her, and I gave her the gate key to my back yard. I was impressed with the mobile dog washing van she had. Leanne seemed like a really nice woman who really liked dogs and Mookie seemed to take to her well. I told her to feed Mookie for the week starting October 9 through October 13 and that I would be back early on the 14th. I told her to go ahead and bathe and groom Mookie during that week on any day she had time since things had been hectic and I had not had time to do it.
Leanne said that she would need her fee up front since she was "just getting started" so I paid her and left feeling good that Mookie was in good hands and would be well taken care of. Boy, was I ever wrong!
When I arrived home on the fourteenth around three A.M., Mookie met me at the gate. Except I did not know it was Mookie in the dark. The poor thing had been shaved bald in a poor imitation of a poodle cut. At first I really thought that some strange dog had somehow gotten in my yard. I was furious!
Being exhausted, I went inside with my poor baby and went to bed. When I got up the next morning, I saw that my backyard shed door was swinging wide open. I know that it was locked when I left because I had double checked it. When I looked inside my brand new riding mower was gone, along with my stainless steel barbecue grill and a couple of power tools left behind by my ex-husband. Later I discovered that a great many boxes of Christmas ornaments that I had stored in there were also missing.
I called Leanne and asked her what the H*L had gone on while I was gone! I asked her why she shaved my dog to look like a poodle, didn't she know that a Shih-tzu has it's own "look"? Leanne said that she had barbered the dog properly... Yeah, right... According to the guidelines "in her book". WTF! She uses a book?!! I responded that her book must have only one chapter in it, the one dealing with poodles.
Then I asked her what the deal was with the shed and she denied any knowledge of the shed being open! There is no way she and her husband could have missed the door swinging open and besides, they had the key to the backyard gate. The fence around the backyard is solid wood and is high enough that no one can easily look over it. It would be pretty hard to get a huge grill AND a riding mower over this fence.
I called the police and made a report. There was no indication that the gate lock had been pried open but the shed door had been. I told the police this story and they agreed that it looks as though the only way this theft could have occurred would be if someone had access to the backyard with the gate key. They are investigating. Unfortunately, since Leanne is mobile I was unable to give them an address, but I did give them Leanne's phone number.
They called Leanne and now she is giving them some lame story about how she thinks her nephew may have taken the gate key and had it copied and stolen the items with some of his friends AFTER their last trip to my house to feed the dog since she and her husband still deny seeing the open shed. She claims that her nephew has a drug problem, and she brought him to my house! Why would a person with a drug problem want Christmas ornaments? It sounds as though she may have been bringing the whole family to my house with her, plus leaving my key unattended long enough for someone to get a copy made. The whole story she is telling the police stinks like dead fish. They are still investigating but seem to be having a hard time tracking down Leanne and her family.
Do not ever use this service if you value your dog's appearance and your personal belongings. Both are apt to be ruined when Leanne gets finished with them! [email protected]
0 comments