Family dog eats $4,000 in cash off the kitchen counter

Cecil, a 7-year-old goldendoodle, was temporarily in the doghouse with his owners for being a thief. We’re not talking about the usual antics with dogs, like swiping a sock from the dryer or some leftover chicken that fell on the floor. Cecil had something much more valuable in his sights.

Cecil’s owner, Clayton Law of Pittsburgh, recently withdrew $4,000 from his and his wife’s savings account to pay contractors for a home improvement project in cash. When he got home, he tossed the envelope on the kitchen counter. Before he could return to put it in a safe place, Law discovered his sneaky pup had gotten to the stash first.

Reporter Jessica Guay of KDKA shared various photos from the crime scene, showing the shredded bills and the primary suspect, who didn’t look overly concerned about his presumed guilt.

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Law returned to the room to find his cash all over the ground, and the dog standing there. His immediate reaction to the chomped cash was to yell to his wife, Carrie, about the canine crime.

“He was shouting, ‘Cecil ate $4,000!'” Carrie Law told The Washington Post. “I ran in, thinking I had to have heard him wrong, but when I saw the mess, there was no doubt. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

Before the cash grab, Cecil had no criminal record. The Laws told the media that their beloved dog was a good boy who had never previously swiped anything left on the counters, including tempting foods such as steak.

“He wouldn’t touch it because he’s not food-motivated,” Carrie said. “But apparently, he is money-motivated.”

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Once the deed was done, Cecil went to take a nap, and the Laws called the vet to make sure their dog would be OK. Fortunately, the doctor said all would be well and to wait and see if devoured dough would reappear. (The dog left a shredded $1,500 on the floor but ate the remaining $2,500.) And Cecil did start to return to money, albeit in an unpleasant way, via vomit and extra potty trips.

Bank officials told the Laws if they could salvage any of the money, including the serial numbers on the bills, they could exchange it for new money. The couple washed and taped every bill they could find and recovered all but $500 of the original amount.

“I never thought I’d be able to say I’ve laundered money, but there is apparently a first time for everything,” Carrie told the Post.

Fortunately, almost a month after eating all that cash, Cecil is a healthy and happy dog.