“I am currently deployed and my ex sold my dog,” wrote soldier Robert Gabbert , who is presently serving in Afghanistan. “I just found out and I am trying to find the people (person) who bought him. I will pay anything to get him back. His name is Baxter and he is an Shiba Inu. I do not have my phone with me. You can email me. The phone number is my mom’s she is helping me locate him. If you have any information PLEASE give us a call or an email.”
Gabbert’s Craigslist posting went viral, and online commenters widely condemned the soldier’s vengeful ex-girlfriend and called for the return of the Shiba Inu.
Gabbert is clearly a loving dog owner: numerous online pictures show the soldier playing with his canine companion and even taking him on trips.
Supporters created a Facebook page, “Help Bring Baxter Home,” and raised $1,400 for the eventual purchase of the pooch. The story soon came to the attention of Baxter’s new owners – also a military family. Activist Nancy Wallace says that Baxter’s return is now being negotiated.
The new family was initially reluctant to give up Baxter. “They keep saying they have children that are attached,” said Gabbert’s mother, Karen Fraley. “Well my child is attached to the dog. Just because he is older doesn’t mean he is not my child.”
Fortunately, well-organized supporters were able to prevent the identity of the new owners from being posted publicly on the internet – calculating that this would only have irked the family and caused them to dig in their heels.
The nonprofit Colorado Shiba Inu Rescue also joined the fight, offering to arrange for the owners to be given a new Shiba Inu.
Shiba Inus hail from Japan and are one of the world’s most ancient domestic dog breeds – that is, they are among those breeds with the fewest genetic differences from wolves.
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