Little Rock Animal Village officials say Neapolitan mastiff nicknamed Eleanor given back to owner, local advocates raise questions
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For about three weeks, local animal advocates and the Little Rock Animal Village have been looking for a path forward for a lost Neapolitan mastiff whom the community named Eleanor.
After a short stay at the shelter, shelter officials said the person believed to be Eleanor’s owner has come forward.
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Tracy Roark with the Little Rock Animal Village said they feel confident that who Eleanor was released to is the owner, but other local advocates said they wish more could’ve been done to verify this.
“We had talked to a breeder, she thought it was one of her dogs, from the pens that she had bred previously, so she came out and looked and she gave us a couple of names,” Roark said.
From those names, Roark said they narrowed it down to who they believe is the owner.
“Showed me AKC paperwork for the mother and the father, he did not have paperwork for this dog because it was supposed to be sold, and you don’t register a dog you’re selling, whoever buys then registers the dog,” Roark explained.
Locals, Little Rock Animal Village staff looking to find path forward for Neapolitan mastiff Eleanor
Roark said that pictures from the person who picked Eleanor up and further conversations led him to feel confident that the person was the dog’s owner.
The process of determining whose dog it is is raising questions with some local advocates.
Debbie Nash, a local advocate who has been keeping an eye out for Eleanor for weeks now says she isn’t confident that this is the dog’s owner.
“That’s not enough. That’s not due diligence,” Nash said.
Nash said she has concerns about why Eleanor was in the shelter for 17 days, and why the owner didn’t come forward on his own.
“We sat in my office for about 30 minutes, and we talked with him about this, why it took him so long, and he said he was afraid, he was afraid of the reaction of him having this dog,” Roark said.
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Roark said he held onto Eleanor for so long because of her breed. He felt like the owner was out there and didn’t want to put her up for adoption yet.
“My job is to reunite families and he’s a part of a family, and I understand that he’s a dog breeder, but he still loved his dog, I could tell,” Roark said.
Nash said she will continue her advocacy work in honor of Eleanor and hopes for change.
“It’s very sad and heartbreaking for those of us who care so much,” Nash said.
Both Roark and Nash said they just want Eleanor to be safe and in a loving home.
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KARK 4 News has reached out to the owner but hasn’t heard back.
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