‘Help me’: Tampa man overhears man talking about getting rid of his girlfriend’s service dog. Now they’re on a mission to find Mermaid and her mom
The internet is searching for a service dog named Mermaid after a Tampa resident claims they overheard the owner’s boyfriend threatening to get rid of her. Viewers of the now-viral video encourage the owner to choose her dog over the shady boyfriend.
In a video with over 192,000 views, TikToker GibbousRage (@gibbousrage) sits in their car and asks their followers to help “get this message to the right person.”
The TikToker says the person they’re looking for is likely local to the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas and has a service dog named Mermaid.
“It sounds like you’ve given your ex-boyfriend Robert Davidson Jr. another chance,” the TikToker says. “Well, he thinks your service dog, Mermaid, is the problem. And he has been asking people how to get rid of your service dog.”
GibbousRage shares that they overheard the man’s conversation and decided to jump into action.
“Pick the dog. Please. Just throw out the entire man,” they suggest. “Help me find the girlfriend because her and Mermaid deserve better.”
In a comment, the TikToker says they didn’t hear any more details about the service dog. The boyfriend only “mentioned her name and that she doesn’t like him.”
Can you legally get rid of someone else’s dog?
Even if someone lives with the owner, they cannot legally rehome or surrender someone else’s dog. According to Animal Legal Defense Fund, dogs have to be “divided” in divorce and can be reported as stolen, much like other non-living possessions.
Because of these legal implications, the woman’s boyfriend could be charged with theft if he attempted to rehome the service dog without his girlfriend’s permission.
Still, the TikToker worries that the girlfriend could be convinced to rehome her service animal in favor of the boyfriend. On Reddit, others share how pet ownership became a point of contention in their relationships.
One user in the r/relationships subreddit says her boyfriend refused to move towards marriage with her unless she rehomed her dogs. Ultimately, she shares that she decided to keep the dogs and ditch her boyfriend.
Another woman’s boyfriend gives her an ultimatum about the dog they adopted together after it exhibited some behavioral issues. However, the woman is reluctant to give in to her boyfriend’s wishes. She doesn’t share her final decision.
Did TikTokers find the service dog’s owner?
While viewers haven’t been able to locate Mermaid or her owner, the video quickly reached the veterinary community in Tampa. Workers say they will keep an eye out for the dog to alert her owner of her boyfriend’s intentions.
“Veterinary Hospital Manager here in Tampa. I don’t have any Mermaids but will share with my community. #choosemermaid,” one writes.
Another shares, “Hubby works for a service dog co. Having him check for a dog with that name.”
“I don’t have many connections to that area anymore, but I do have connections to someone who has connections in the veterinary community there. *crossing my fingers*,” a third comments.
In an Instagram direct message to The Mary Sue, GibbousRage shares that they have yet to locate Mermaid.
“We have been reaching out to various people and vets in the area, but I haven’t found Mermaid’s owner yet. I have a possible lead but I’m still trying to verify it,” they write.
@gibbousrage Help me find Mermaid and her owner! If you're Mermaid's owner dm me #stpetersburg #tampa #servicedog #dog #findmermaid ♬ original sound – GibbousRage
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