Updated: Imported Egyptian dog caught in Leawood
Update: The foster dog from Egypt that was running loose in Leawood has been caught.
An imported Egyptian dog, possibly wearing a purple sweater, escaped its foster family in Leawood this week and is being sought by police and health officials.
The dog was among a group of 26 that was imported from Egypt by Unleashed Pet Rescue in Mission at the end of January.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said in a written statement Wednesday that 25 of the dogs were placed into foster care or have been adopted in the Kansas City area, but one got sick and tested positive for rabies, a viral disease fatal to people and animals.
Officials clarified Wednesday night that the dog reported missing from the group had not tested positive for rabies but that one of the other dogs had tested positive for the disease.
The missing dog in Leawood is described as a white, medium-sized, mixed-breed dog that was wearing a purple sweater at one point, police said. The dog was last seen in the area of 103rd Street and Mission Road on Monday.
Anyone who has seen the missing dog is asked to call the Leawood Police Department at 913-642-7700.
A spokesman with Unleashed Pet Rescue said Wednesday night attempts were being made to find the missing dog. Animal control officers were actively searching for the dog, and police and the animal shelter reiterated the animal had not been showing signs of illness.
“Our biggest concern is the safety of the dog,” said Jacob Meyer with Unleashed Pet Rescue, adding that the missing dog’s name is Hope.
Meyer also said the other dog, Kim, that did test positive for rabies was euthanized earlier this week. Unleashed Pet Rescue issued a statement on Facebook Wednesday night making the announcement.
“All of the dogs from Egypt are returning to Unleashed for an additional quarantine to the one imposed before transport, and none of the other dogs have tested positive for rabies. The dogs will receive additional rabies boosters during this time,” the rescue said.
“We followed all of the proper procedures/rules for import of the dogs and we are working with all of the appropriate agencies.”
The health department said all 26 dogs had health certificates and documentation of receiving the rabies vaccine in Egypt. But the agency is requiring all of the dogs to be brought back to the shelter for evaluation and quarantine as a precaution “for the safety of the families, people and animals in the community, and the remaining dogs.”
Since one of the dogs tested positive for rabies, the agency is seeking to determine the validity of the rabies vaccination received in Egypt and how or if the dogs were quarantined before arriving in the United States.
“To our knowledge at this time, none of the other 25 dogs have developed signs of rabies. All persons that have been in contact with the rabid dog have been notified, assessed for rabies exposure and, if determined to be necessary, are receiving rabies post-exposure prophylaxis,” the health department said.
“Persons that have had contact with other dogs from Unleashed Pet Rescue were not exposed to rabies.”
Other agencies helping with the investigation include: the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 6:31 PM.
