Elvis Hernandez thought he was helping to save a dog, but now he's being hounded by police.
A few months ago, Hernandez, a locksmith in Kerrville, Texas, was on a call when he saw a lost dachshund in the middle of the roadway and tried to rescue it.
"It was cute. It was running in the middle of the road. He didn't have tags; didn't have a collar," Hernandez told KENS-TV. "I left my information with the customer so they could contact me if they did find the owner."
Hernandez kept the dog while waiting for a call that never came. When the lost pooch didn't get along with his own dogs, he gave the dachshund away, a decision he came to regret recently when the dog's original owner finally tracked him down.
"I just explained to her that I didn't have it. I didn't know where it was, and I apologized," Hernandez said, KHOU-TV reported.
The owner filed a police report, a warrant was issued and Hernandez was arrested and charged with theft of property.
While the case is pending, he's legally unable to work as a locksmith.
"Not only did they attack my name, they attacked my livelihood. And being a single dad with children it hurts a lot," Hernandez told KENS-TV.
No word on whether the dachshund that started things has been returned to its original owner, but a study published in June conducted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said 93 percent of dogs and 75 percent of cats reported lost over the last five years were returned safely to their homes.
In some cases, it takes a while.
Earlier this year, a Kansas couple was reunited with their two beloved basset hounds five years after the dogs were stolen from their yard.
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