Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/man-texts-number-dogs-collar/
If you have a dog, you know it’s not uncommon for people to stop and pet them or ask about them while out on a walk or at the dog park. Most of those people just love dogs and are excited to get to know one, but some of them don’t always have the best intentions.
We like to think the best of people and never assume the worst, but it’s important to be aware of all the things that can happen to protect yourself and your pup. Dog theft is one common issue that many dog owners are aware of. The last thing we’d want is to let our guard down and have our fur baby taken from us.
However, it seems there may be another thing to think about when out in public with your pet and that’s personal information and privacy.
A woman named Michelle Kimball has issued a warning to dog owners after someone took a picture of her dog’s tag on its collar and used the information to text her and try to “chat her up.”
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In a video shared on TikTok, Kimball, who has over 2 million followers, explained in the comments that the incident happened over two years ago while she was bartending at The Dog Bar, not while out for a walk like the video suggests.
@michellebellexo Reply to @elijahescam.lla NGL it’s pretty cool I was on national news!#insideedition#nationalnews#GSD#roughcollie#dogsofttiktok
Apparently, a man at The Dog Bar went up to her German Shepherd, Nilla, and took a photo of the dog tag – which had Michelle’s personal information, like her phone number. She didn’t find out about the incident until she received a text later from a stranger.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Michelle explained that she didn’t recognize the person who was texting her, so she asked how he got her number to which he replied, “Oh, I got it off your dog’s collar.”
“Why would anybody think that’s okay, just to get my phone number from my dog’s collar? That’s in case my dog gets lost,” Kimball added. She also said that she didn’t think this man, in particular, was trying to be creepy, but romantic – but he crossed a big line in doing so.
Unfortunately, Kimball isn’t the only one to experience someone using her dog’s tag to get information. According to Inside Edition, a woman named Shay Greyson experienced something similar while out for a walk with her dog, a little Maltese.
While on the walk, a man reportedly stopped Grayson and asked if he could take a photo of her dog. It doesn’t seem like a bad request at first, since many people love cute animals. However, she quickly grew suspicious when she realized he wasn’t taking a photo of her dog, but of her dog’s collar which had a tag with her address and personal information on it. Once she realized what he’d done, she made him delete the photos.
She said to Inside Edition, “My home could be broken into. Or whenever I took my dog out one day, he could be out there to either kidnap my dog or to do something to me. There were so many things that could happen with him having my address.”
That information is supposed to be used to locate a dog’s owner if the dog becomes lost. It’s sad to know people are abusing that but also serves as an important reminder to stay vigilant and alert.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
