A mother of five in Miami, Florida, who is preparing to undergo chemotherapy, claimed a temporary dog sitter has refused to give back her adorable puppy for seven months.

Hanna Bustos, who has cancer, has been without her beloved family poodle, Lucie, for months after she left her with a trusted boarder, according to Local 10 News.

Bustos claimed that the dog sitter refused to give Lucie, a one-year-old puppy, back to the family despite all that the mother is going through.

The mother said that when she told the sitter about her diagnosis, it made no difference. She insists the move was permanent.

'She said, "I'm very sorry you're going through that, but it doesn't change my decision,"' Bustos told the outlet.

The puppy was a gift for her 14-year-old son, who said that the dog was his best friend.

'I felt instant betrayal because I know that my son trusted me to trust her, and I made a judgment call that was not helpful for my family, and I could only think about him,' said the mother.

'That's the truth: How was I going to tell my son?' 

The family has filed two police reports and hired an attorney to help bring Lucie home.

Bustos admits there was no written agreement between herself and the boarder. 

Bustos recently shared on her Instagram Story on Monday that she was waiting at the police station with her family after sending the sitter a demand letter for the beloved pet to be returned.

The mother read the demands: 'Return Lucie into the custody of Hanna Bustos unconditionally, no later than 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026.'

Bustos posted the update shortly after 5pm without any sign of Lucie being returned.

In another post, the mother said that the dog was microchipped and had rabies vaccinations registered in her name.

She added that the dog was given to the sitter to foster and was 'not a rehoming, not abandonment, not rejoining.'

'I AM HER ONLY OWNER,' wrote Bustos.

Local 10 News said they approached the unidentified dog sitter for comment at her home in South Miami, but she declined to comment.

The outlet noted that they could hear dogs barking from inside her house.