By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A West Valley man has been reunited with his dog, but questions remain after the pet was sold by an unauthorized vendor outside a Phoenix mall.
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Anthony Roman’s 3-year-old goldendoodle, Oliver, escaped from his backyard on Aug. 26. Roman had opened the doggy door before heading to work, wanting Oliver “to be able to go out and use the restroom.”
Just a few hours later, Roman received multiple community alerts online.
“So I checked in and immediately his picture blew up and my neighbor’s like, ’Someone’s dog got out.’ I was like, oh my gosh,” Roman said.
The goldendoodle had escaped through a gap near the fence.
“The hole’s right here,” Roman said. “And I’m surprised he even managed to squeeze out of that, but he did.”
A neighbor found Oliver and kept him in her yard, but the pup escaped again.
“He dug the same exact hole,” Roman said.
Roman launched a massive search.
“So I posted on every social media outlet: Facebook, Nextdoor, the Ring app. I posted on TikTok. And then I started making flyers for him and I had him put around town,” Roman said.
On Tuesday, a stranger sent him a heartfelt text message.
“When I asked her for a picture, I was like, can you please send me a picture just for verification? And then she sent me his picture,” Roman said.
Within an hour, Roman and Oliver were reunited. The woman explained she had just purchased Oliver from a vendor outside Desert Sky Mall.
“So I guess she had purchased him from a vendor outside Desert Sky Mall for $700,” Roman said.
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Roman was familiar with the setup.
“They would pick a grassy area and the people, the vendors, they would set up chairs and have all the cages outside so people can come look at the dogs or the puppies or turtles, whatever the case may be, and play with them and kind of hang out with them,” Roman said.
By Wednesday, a fence blocked that grassy area, and no vendors were present.
Roman is thankful for the couple who returned Oliver safely, noting, “He was safe. The young couple took great care of him.”
He plans to give them a $500 reward and is filing a police report to hold the sellers accountable.
As for Oliver, Roman said his backyard privileges have changed: “Doggy door stays closed.”
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