Authorities in Fayette County say a 73-year-old Morrow couple has been charged with animal cruelty and abandoning their dog before leaving for vacation in Maui.
The dog’s name is Blu, and he is now being cared for at the Fayette County Animal Shelter after officials say he was abandoned before the couple traveled to Hawaii.
Blu, however, carried the clue investigators needed — a microchip that identified his owner.
Fayette County Marshals attempted to contact the couple but soon discovered they were already on vacation in Maui, according to Fayette County Animal Control Director Tracy Thompson.
“They had to wait until they returned,” Thompson said.
Blu’s abandonment didn’t start at the shelter. Instead, workers at the Fayette County Water and Sewer Department found him on a Monday morning, tied up with food, water, and a note written as though it came from Blu himself.
The note read:
“My name is Blu. My owner and I spent 4 1/2 years together. But he died. I don’t have anyone else to take care of me. Thanks.”
Authorities reviewed surveillance video, which they say showed a couple leaving Blu along with the food, water, and note.
They then checked Blu’s microchip and identified his owner as Kenneth Beshers of Morrow. Investigators say the man seen in the video matched Beshers, and a woman seen with him was identified as Johanna Payne — his wife.
Attempts to speak with the couple had to wait until they returned from their Hawaii trip.
Beshers and Payne, both 73, were arrested and charged with animal cruelty and abandoning a dog. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Blu will be eligible for adoption after the case is resolved, officials said. They described him as sweet, well-behaved, and the kind of dog “a family would be lucky to have.”
