STOUGHTON, Mass. (AP) - A Stoughton animal control officer is on paid leave after allegedly giving a loose dog away as a gift, even though she would have known how to find its owner.

The Brockton Enterprise reports Friday that Kristin Bousquet is on leave pending a hearing.

Janet Torren of Rochester says her Yorkshire terrier, named Shai, had an identifying microchip in its ear. She said the chip's distributor told her it was scanned Sept. 18 by a device listed to the Stoughton pound.

Torren said instead of returning her dog, Bousquet gave it to a policeman as a gift for his girlfriend on Sept. 22.

Pounds must keep dogs for 10 days before they can be adopted.

Torren said Bousquet denied any knowledge of her dog. A telephone listing for Bousquet could not immediately be located.

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