80-year-old army vet wants his missing dog back from Westie rescue


An 80-year-old army veteran wants his Westie back after the dog went missing on July 20, however a Texas dog rescue now has the dog and states the man broke the adoption agreement.


According to KensNews, the West Highlands terrier, named Olaf, disappeared when Jim Martin had been loading his car in the driveway.  All day, the elderly man who lives alone searched for his dog. When someone found the dog the same day, they were not able to get in touch with Martin and instead a nearby shelter notified Lone Star Westie Rescue, where four years ago, Olaf had been adopted.

On their Facebook page the rescue told their side of the story:


“Olaf was adopted from LSWR 4 years ago.

Last Friday, as previously posted, we were contacted by HomeAgain that a Good Samaritan had found Olaf alone on the streets. Several attempts were made to contact the owner of this pet to no avail by both HomeAgain and LSWR.

It turns out he was 8.5 miles from home, with no owner identification tags and with several health issues that needed immediate attention.

LSWR took Olaf to a vet. Upon receiving medical care, he was found to have the following issues that would have taken months to be this severe: heavy flea infestation, eye infection (conjunctivitis), ear infection (ear canal almost completely closed), loss of hair on parts of his legs, and his nails had not been clipped in quite some time.

After speaking with a San Antonio police officer this evening, the police officer determined OLAF DOES NOT HAVE TO BE RETURNED and no criminal act on the part of LSWR had been committed.

These photos tell a very sad story, and we are sorry to have to share them with you. LSWR’s mission is to look out for these animals who can’t speak for themselves.”

Martin’s veterinarian, however signed a letter attesting that Olaf’s health issues have been “chronic and ongoing.” Dr. Larry Wood wrote,

“Jim is a model pet caregiver. I wish all pet caregivers were as conscientious as he is in his care of Olaf.”

Martin has now retained an attorney. Friends, neighbors and animal activists are standing by the side of the retired Army Lt. Col who has no family and his dog Olaf provides the emotional help and support he needs.

2 Comments

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  1. Dog Lover

    Do not ever buy a dog from a rescue! This is horrible. Jim loves Olaf. He takes it to the vet often. Ask Dr. Woods. Alamo Heights is a wealthy neighborhood. We care for Jim and Olaf!

  2. Three Dog Fam

    Lone Star Westie Rescue is the worst group ever. They are located 5 hours away from San Antonio and should have never seized the dog. If they had concerns their only option was to file a complaint with ACS or file a lawsuit to have it court ordered. Just stealing a dog is not allowed in Texas. The Supreme Court of Texas already decided this law. Give the dog back.

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