DELTONA, Fla. (WKMG) – An emotional moment unfolded after a family regained their beloved dog.
Lytton Cosens said he spent hours into the night March 11 searching for his 11-year-old Beagle mix, Archer.
On March 12, the family got a call from someone claiming to have found Archer, saying he had been hit by a car and needed surgery.
“First thing we are thinking of is, ‘Oh my gosh, somebody found him,’” Cosens said.
When the person on the phone demanded more than $2,700 for the surgery, Cosens asked for a picture of Archer to prove he was in the caller’s care.
“And then he sent us a picture and at first glance, it’s my dog laying on an operating table,” Cosens said.
Cosens said when he saw the picture, he just thought, “Is he going to live? What happened to my baby?”
Cosens said the person on the phone demanded the money in CVS gift cards, which was a red flag.
When he looked closer at the two pictures, he discovered pattern differences in Archer’s fur. The family also noticed the X-ray dated back to 2022.
“She hung up with them and said, ‘No, there is something wrong.’ Yeah, I was thinking something, but I didn’t want to be the reason we didn’t save the dog,” Cosens said.
Later that afternoon, Cosens said his neighbor came home and told him he saw a woman put Archer into her vehicle after he got loose in the yard.
The neighbor said that same woman and vehicle returned Thursday morning to drop Archer off in front of his home.
“The biggest fortunate thing is, we got Archer back. And poor guy was just emotionally worn out. I mean he’s been through the wringer for about five days now,” Cosens said.
The family is grateful Archer is home and that they are now aware of the dangers of AI.
Cosens has a message for the person who tried to scam them.
“Yeah, if you are going to hit someone at their lowest, and then try to scam them, justice will be done,” he said.
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