Taking care of dogs can be a lot of work. You have to feed them, bathe them, pick up after them, and more. The vast majority of dog owners (70%) take their dog for at least one walk per day, with the average duration of that walk being about 17 minutes. Though it may be tempting to hire some help, dog owners are better off taking care of their furry friends themselves, as one unfortunate Manhattanite, Morgan Bogle, recently discovered.
The New York Post recently reported that according to court papers, East Village dog walker Tommy Doerr allegedly lost Bogle’s four-year-old, rescued pit bull after having what he claimed was an “unexplained psychotic episode,” and can’t remember what happened to the dog.
Bogle, who also created the ethical luxury bag line Freedom of Animals, then mounted a social media campaign using the hashtag #FindSugarNYC, and put up thousands of posters, and even a Seventh Avenue billboard, all to find her companion.
She also, the Post reported, doesn’t buy Doerr’s story.
Bogle claimed in court papers that Doerr was “detained by the police who had allegedly searched him and found him in possession of a controlled substance, believed to be PCP.”
She “has also been told … that [Doerr] ‘traded’ Sugar to some drug dealers in return for PCP or sold Sugar in order to obtain money to buy drugs,” stated court papers. “Morgan believes that her best friend and beloved pet was sold by Doerr to be used in connection with dog-fighting or traded for controlled substances.”
According to the lawsuit Bogle filed last month, she wants a judge to order Doerr to return Sugar, or pay $10,000 in damages.
Doerr’s lawyer insisted he was not on drugs, and that the allegations were false. Attorney Mel Ginsburg did not deny Doerr lost Sugar, but did not clarify his client’s medical issues or the circumstances of Sugar’s disappearance.
“Things happen that people don’t remember,” said Ginsburg.
Bogle said a neighbor had sent her a text, telling her that Doerr had been kicking her front door on Feb. 23 and shouting. This was the first incident in the three years Doerr had spent walking Sugar. Bogle sent a friend to Doerr’s home, where Sugar was found hiding behind a trash can, “acting strange.” The friend then called the cops.
Upon Bogle’s return from her business trip, Doerr gave her permission to go into his home while he was spending time at Bellevue Medical Center. There, she found her dog’s collar and sweater, but no Sugar.
According to her lawsuit, Bogle “is rapidly losing hope that Sugar will ever be found alive.”
