HOUSTON – An Alief veterinary clinic is offering a major reward for the safe return of a dog that escaped from its care.
It happened Saturday at the Alief Animal Hospital on South Kirkwood Road.
Christine Manuel was expecting a call saying her 3-year-old shih tzu, Cheerio, was ready to be picked up from grooming, but that wasn't what she heard.
"They said 'Christine we have some unfortunate news for you, about 30 minutes ago we lost your dog,' and I said 'How can that happen? She was just there for a grooming'" Manuel said.
Surveillance video shows an employee walking Cheerio on a leash to a downstairs waiting area.
"As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Cheerio slipped out of the leash and at the same moment a client (was) coming through the door and Cheerio just bolted out and escaped," said Dr. Ferdinand Tamas.
The video shows a worker following Cheerio out the door but the woman doesn't manage to catch her.
Cheerio is then seen hiding under a car and running around the parking lot while a customer and another employee try, but fail to wrangle her.
"I know it should not be, it should not have happened but it did happen so that's why we are showing our good faith with the reward," Tamas said.
He's offering a $1,000 reward for Cheerio's safe return. The Manuels have added $1,000 and a KPRC 2 viewer added another $500, bringing the total reward to $2,500.
"If she is alive I would like for her to come home. She's not just a pet to me, she's our baby," Manuel said.
Anyone who has seen Cheerio is asked to call the Alief Animal Hospital at 281-498-6702