Memphis, TN—Residents of central Memphis are used to seeing self-printed flyers stapled to wooden posts or taped onto store windows. They often are advertisements for garage sales, people seeking roommates, or offers of services such as piano lessons. Unfortunately, sometimes these posters also contain an ominous message: “Lost Dog.”
Among the few dozen posters with information from owners looking for their lost canine companions, one caught the eyes of several locals this weekend.
“I was just jogging my normal route, like always,” reports Alicia Temples, 26. “I see those kinds of posters all the time, you know? I usually take a quick look, just in case. But this one caught me off guard. I jogged right past it and then had to backtrack to make sure I’d seen it right.” Temples refers to the unusual text on the poster: in bold, black letters on the top of the page, the poster reads “Have You Seen This Dog? Wanted Dead or Alive.”
The poster caught several other residents by surprise. Gary Brown, 44, was walking his own German shepherd, Scraggles, 6, when he noticed the poster. “I must have read the thing 20 times trying to piece together what was going on,” Brown explains. “I still can’t tell if that was a mistake, or if this guy has it in for this dog.”
The poster in question appears like any other lost dog ad. The typeface is unremarkable, and there is a photo of what appears to be a healthy terrier mix, approximately 5 years old. Beyond the bold text, there is smaller text under the photo with a phone number, and mention of a “substantial reward.”
Terry Owens, 31, tries to remain optimistic about the poster. He explains, “I think that the owner just means that they want to know where their dog is, even if it’s already dead. You know, just like to give it a proper burial I bet.”
Niles Yates, 52, is not convinced the message is innocuous. “Look at the note here, where it says, ‘Answers to the name, Stomper.’ That doesn’t sound like a good boy, if you catch my drift. This guy wants that pup’s head on a platter, I bet.”
A phone call to the listed number added only more questions to the mystery. The number leads to a recording of a digitally disguised voice, stating “If you have Stomper alive, he will lead you to me. If he is dead, follow the instructions on his microchip to claim your reward.”
Residents of the neighborhood said they would be keeping their pets inside, and locking their doors for the foreseeable future.