Help Mikey the Bulldog Get Home to His Family

Imagine if your dog got lost and ended up with someone who refused to give your dog back to you. Imagine that you did everything you could to get him back, but nothing you did worked. Imagine that you went to police and even the news, and still the person who had your dog refused to give him back. Imagine how heartbreaking and maddening it would be!

That’s exactly what has happened here, and we need your help to get a beloved dog out of the hands of the person who has him and back into the arms of his heartbroken family.

In late November of 2017, Mikey the Bulldog went to visit his uncle Jordy in Phoenix, Arizona. On December 8, 2017, Mikey got out when a door didn’t latch, and wandered down the street.

He didn’t get far. A nice couple, the Lintons, found him the same day, less than 1/4 of a mile from his home. The Lintons cared for him for about two weeks – until they had to seek a temporary foster home for him.

On December 21, 2017, the Lintons passed Mikey to a woman who offered him a forever home, but also promised to return him if his owners were found. However, instead of helping look for the dog’s owners, the woman tried to sell Mikey for $800! This occurred on December 26, 2017, only five days after Mikey had been passed to her.

Then, when Mikey’s real family was finally found on December 27, 2017, the same woman refused to return him to his family. In fact, the day after Mikey’s real owners were found and reached out to her, the woman rushed to have Mikey microchipped in her name. She did this on December 28, 2017.

We’ve done everything we could think of to get Mikey back, including trying to negotiate with the woman. We even offered to pay the lady $800 for Mikey, and also offered to do a DNA test, but she refused. We offered to give her money so that she could buy her own bulldog, but she still refused to give Mikey back to his family. She has even refused to allow Mikey’s family see him at all, and also refused to return Mikey to the couple who found him. All Mikey’s family wanted was to be able to see him and to call his name, in order to prove to the lady who has Mikey that he belongs to them, but the lady who has Mikey refused to let them see him.

Remember, the woman who has Mikey had only had Mikey for a week when his real owners were found! It’s now been three months, and during that time we’ve done everything we can to get Mikey home! We even went to both the police and the media! We also started a petition, and more than 1500 people from around the world signed the petition to get Mikey home.

Sadly, none of our efforts so far have resulted in Mikey being reunited with his family. It’s now been three months since Mikey was passed to the woman who has him, and Mikey’s family is understandably heartbroken and devastated.

Mikey’s real family has plenty of proof that Mikey belongs to them. First, remember that Mikey was lost and found on the same day less than 1/4 mile apart. But they also have a puppy contract, their receipt from when they bought Mikey, vaccination records, breed registration documents, and plenty of photographs and videos. The photographs and videos they have look just like the dog in photographs and videos made by the lady who has Mikey, as well as the news footage from when the news interviewed her about Mikey!

At this point the only way to get Mikey home to his family is to go to court. We feel strongly that we will prevail in court, because all of the facts in this matter point to the dog in this woman’s custody being Mikey the Bulldog, and, under the law, Mikey the Bulldog belongs to his family.

Also, based on news footage in this matter, we and other bulldog owners worry that Mikey is not doing well in his current situation. It appears that he is suffering from severe allergies, and he also looks very sad. In addition, bulldogs can’t survive outdoors in Phoenix, Arizona heat, and we believe that Mikey may be kept outside for much or part of the time. Temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona can reach 120 degrees, and often temperatures don’t drop under 95-100 degrees for weeks at a time. Thus, it is urgent to get Mikey home to his family as quickly as possible, and certainly before summer comes!

Unfortunately, in Maricopa County, Arizona, small claims courts can’t order property returned to the owner – they can only issue monetary judgements. Because Mikey’s family doesn’t want money (they want their beloved dog back), we have to file a civil claim in Maricopa County Superior Court – which requires a lawyer and a fair amount of money. Costs are estimated to be between $5,000 and $7,500 (and possibly more).

We’ve already hired a lawyer, and are now raising funds to cover legal costs of getting Mikey home. I personally paid the first $2,500, and am now reaching out to the dog community worldwide to help raise the remainder of the funds needed to get justice for Mikey the Bulldog.

Per crowd justice.com policy, all funds donated via this site go directly to the attorney – so you can be assured that your donation will go only towards the legal costs to get Mikey home. Crowd Justice has the attorney name and contact information, and has confirmed that the attorney has been retained and is handling this matter.

Again, please imagine what you would do to get your dog home if your dog was being held by a third party that refused to return him. I’m sure your answer is the same as mine – you’d do anything to get your baby home.

We hope that all dog lovers, and bulldog lovers especially, will find it in their heart to donate any amount to help Mikey the Bulldog get home to his family.

We can’t do this without your help! Please consider making a donation today!