Photos show a dog which was found lying on the side of the road after a hit-and-run incident. The dog was taken to the vets, but is not microchipped.
This is a hoax. The same images of the dog have been shared with similar claims alleging the dog was found in different places in the UK since at least 2023.
A post on Facebook claims photos show an unchipped dog that has been found after a hit-and-run incident in Plymouth.
It says: “Hello There. I am seriously searching for this guy’s owner 💔. found him lying on the side road in Plymouth He was hit by a car in a hit-and-run incident. I took him to the vet he is not chipped I know someone is looking for him. He misses his family, I'll continue to take care of him in the meantime. Please bump this post to help me find his owner!!”
Similar posts with the same pictures have also been shared in other local Facebook groups including those for Blackburn, Birmingham and Belfast, claiming the dog has been found at these locations. It has even been shared in a group in Guelph, Canada, with claims the dog was found there.
But these images of the injured dog have been circulating with almost identical claims of a hit-and-run since at least July 2023 in both England and Northern Ireland.
That, combined with the various locations the dog is claimed to have been found in, and that comments have been turned off on the posts, indicates they are more than likely hoax posts.
A Full Fact investigation found that these bogus posts are often later edited into completely different content, such as a survey, property listing or an advert for a cashback site.
We’ve written many times about these kinds of hoax posts, which may use reports of missing or injured dogs, missing elderly people or children, or criminals on the loose, and can overwhelm and eclipse genuine information on local community groups. We’ve written to Meta asking the company to take stronger action in response to this problem.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because there’s no evidence that this dog is missing in the locations stated and the same appeal has been shared online since at least 2023.
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