MIAMI — Hanna Bustos, a mother of five, tried to comfort her children on Saturday at their home in Miami. Busto’s three daughters and two sons miss their one-year-old puppy terribly.
Bustos, who is a cancer patient preparing to undergo chemotherapy, said it has been seven months since they last saw their poodle named “Lucy.”
Bustos said she hired a temporary dog sitter, who has a dog breeding company and came highly recommended as a boarder, but she has refused to return her to them.
“She was not willing to remove ‘Lucy’ from her pack ... I felt like instant betrayal because I know that my son trusted me to trust her, and I made a judgment call that was not helpful for my family, and I could only think about him,” Bustos said through tears. “That’s the truth: How was I going to tell my son?”
The poodle was initially a gift for her 14-year-old son, who said on Saturday through tears that “Lucy” was his “best friend.”
Bustos explained the situation to the dog sitter and the pain her children are feeling.
“I am not giving her up,” the dog sitter said, according to Bustos.
Busto said that even after she told her about her cancer diagnosis and how much her children need support, the dog sitter declined to return the dog.
“I am very sorry you are going through this, but this doesn’t change my decision,” the dog sitter said, according to Bustos.
Feeling powerless, Busto and her husband, Roger Busto, have filed two reports with the Miami Police Department, hired an attorney for help in civil court, and started a campaign to “Bring Lucy” home.
“My son asking, ‘Oh, when is Lucy coming?’ And then the twins, they start screaming her name,” Roger Busto said about his kids’ pain.
The dog sitter refused to answer requests for comment on Saturday night at her home in southwestern Miami-Dade County. There were dogs inside barking.
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