Navy veteran, dog find each other after man was scammed trying to buy rottweiler online

FREELAND, Mich. (WNEM) – A navy veteran in need of a new friend and a dog in need of a forever home found each other thanks to the help of the Humane Society of Saginaw County.

This comes after he was scammed out of hundreds of dollars hoping to get a new best friend

Charles Birden, who lost his beloved 14-year-old rottweiler pretty girl while he was recovering from hip replacement surgery, has PTSD, depression, and anxiety.

His dog was a source of comfort and companionship.

“I received a telephone call. And oh, my goodness. I don’t even want to tell you how I responded to that telephone call when they told me my dog had passed away. Because that was the first time, she had ever been away from me,” Birden said.

He says the loss left a void in his life. A void he hoped to fill with a new rottweiler.

Going online, Birden found an organization that claimed to have one, but asked for $1,400 for the dog.

Birden took out a loan to get the puppy, but the group turned out to be a scam.

“I was very disappointed and distraught behind it because I had already lost the dog,” Birden said.

Birden and his social worker at the VA sent letters to the Humane Society of Saginaw County asking for their help.

“We told him it’s our mission to get him his dog,” said humane society president Elizabeth Guarm.

After some searching, a female rottweiler puppy was found in Texas.

The puppy, who Birden named “Bae”, was all wags to meet him.

“This is a reason I’ve been involved in animal rescue for 27 years is people like Charles. This is everything,” Guarm said.

With smiles all around, Birden and Bae drove off.

Birden was so upset that he didn’t get the rottweiler that he paid for that he gave away all his pet supplies, but thanks to the humane society, he left here fully stocked to live a long and joyful life with Bae.

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