Man who claimed dog was imposter reunited with right pooch

[April 18, 2008]  LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP) -- Ken Griggs finally brought the right dog home. More than two weeks after the Lake Oswego man claimed a boarding kennel returned the wrong dog after spring break, he and his family were reunited with their black Labrador named Callie.

During the break in late March, Callie shared a kennel with a look-alike named Dixie. When Griggs went to retrieve Callie on March 30, he somehow ended up with Dixie.

Griggs knew something wasn't right when Callie wouldn't heel and the family cat -- normally pals with Callie -- hissed at the dog.

Griggs returned the dog to the kennel and Allison Best, the kennel owner, examined whether Callie might have gotten mixed-up with any of the other black Labradors staying there that week and contacted the owners.

The Sherwood woman who owns Dixie told Best her dog seemed to have undergone a personality change. But the woman was insistent that she had the correct dog.

Still, Best arranged for the owners and their dogs to meet March 31.

Griggs arrived at the Dundee kennel before the Sherwood woman and a black Lab got excited when he and his children approached. The kids declared it was Callie, and everyone went back home to Lake Oswego.

But it turned out to be the same dog Griggs had just returned.

Still thinking there might be a Callie impostor roaming his house, Griggs took the dog to his regular veterinarian. She confirmed through X-rays that the dog lacked Callie's surgical marks.

The case finally resolved itself when the kennel owner got a phone call from an acquaintance of the Sherwood woman, who had told her that "Dixie was not Dixie."

Best visited the woman's house Tuesday and examined the dog. After realizing it was Callie, she told the woman she needed to meet with Griggs.

The real Callie finally returned home Wednesday, and spent the evening playing with Griggs' four younger children.

"I'm happy and relieved and just want things to get back to normal," Griggs said after the exchange.

Best told The Oregonian newspaper she had no comment about how the confusion might have occurred.

"We tried to do everything we could, and it's really unfortunate we had two customers who couldn't identify their dogs," she said.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com/

[Associated Press]

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