Dog owner threatens to SUE kindhearted shelter worker who posted picture that moved the internet and raised money so he could be reunited with his pet

Dave Thomas, from California, was jailed for a few days for traffic violations and his dog Buzz Lightyear, a pitbull mix, taken away

Maria Sanchez raised money to help him pay the $400 pound fees and the pair were reunited

Raised $2,000 all together, some of which went to shelter and vet fees

Ms Sanchez said she would give leftover money to Dave Thomas



He has repaid her by threatening to sue for slander, embezzlement and larceny



What started out as a heart-warming tale about the kindness of strangers and the love of a man and his dog, has turned into a war of words and impending lawsuit.



Dave Thomas, from San Bernardino, California, had his impounded dog returned to him due to the actions of shelter photographer Maria Sanchez - who posted a heartbreaking picture of the separated pair on Facebook in a bid to raise money to have the dog released.

Donations flooded in and Thomas was reunited with Buzz Lightyear earlier this week.



But now, he has allegedly repaid the favor by threatening to sue Sanchez for embezzlement, slander and grand larceny.

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Best of friends: Dave Thomas, from San Bernardino, couldn't afford to have his impounded dog Buzz Lightyear released so sat and held his beloved pet's paw Emotion: Mr Thomas, 36, was helped out by Good Samaritans including Maria Sanchez (left) who he has repaid by threatening to sue her

By your side: Mr Thomas sat alongside his pet Buzz Lightyear but was not allowed to have his dog back because he could not pay $400 fees at the pound

Thomas was jailed for a few days for traffic violations on February 13 - leading to Buzz Lightyear being impounded.



When he was released from prison, he could not afford the $400 fees to have the two-year-old pit bull mix released from its cage at the shelter.

When he visited his pooch, he weeped as he fed Buzz Lightyear water and Cheetos, and stroked his paw through the cage.

When Ms Sanchez saw the exchange, she took pictures and posted them on Facebook. Not only was the $400 for the release fee raised, but an extra $1,600 on top.

Because Thomas, 36, did not leave his details at the pound, Ms Sanchez went out of her way to find him, posting fliers all over the local area and appealing for help online.

She finally tracked him down on Monday evening and a highly emotional and relieved Mr Thomas was reunited with his beloved Buzz the following day.



Now, however, Thomas has threatened to sue Sanchez for not handing over the rest of the cash left over from the donations after the shelter fee was covered.

In a voice mail allegedly left by Thomas, he tells her: 'You are dead wrong and I will be getting in touch with the lawyer and if you do anything with my money that is slander one, embezzlement two…what’s the other one? Oh grand larceny because it’s over $1,000.'

Ms Sanchez posted the phone call on YouTube and defended herself.

Despair: Mr Thomas, 36, didn't have the funds to release his dog before he was pictured by a Good Samaritan animal lover

Overwhelmed: It took days to track down Mr Thomas who was extremely emotional when he realized that strangers had donated to have him reunited with his dog

She wrote: 'Dave has called to inform them that I am keeping the money raised for his dog. I have transferred $842.07 into my bank to reimburse myself for the shelter fees, vet and PetSmart shopping spree that I put onto my personal credit card.



'I had a discussion regarding the remainder of the donations and how he would like to spend them. I asked if he had any bills that were due at the time. I told him that every dime that was donated would go to him and Buzz, but that I would not be giving him the cash.



'I explained to him that the money that was donated was a blessing for him, I wanted to be sure that we respected that and used the donations responsibly. He sat next to me and nodded his head, Not one response, question or concern.'

She then revealed she was going to return the money to those who donated or else give it to an animal shelter.

'I have been reimbursed for all expense to rescue Buzz from the high kill San Bernardino City Shelter and reunite him with his owner Dave Thomas,' she added.



'There are donations leftover. The donations will NOT go to Dave after the stunt he has pulled. If you still want Dave to have your donation, I will have to ask you to send it to him personally.

'No good deed goes unpunished, right?'

