A dog owner waits and worries after her beloved pet was accidentally released into the wild.

The Frankfort Humane Society reportedly confused her Sheba Inu, a rare breed of dog, for a coyote, and it was released into the woods. Ever since Lori Goodlett started looking for her dog, Copper, she's received calls and signs of hope, but so far... "It hasn't been her yet," Goodlett said.

It all began when a Frankfort police officer found Copper on the loose. The officer brought her to the Frankfort Humane Society, which initially took Copper, but soon called back police saying they wouldn't keep her because they believed she was a coyote and therefore a nuisance animal. "The Humane Society is a private organization run by their own board of directors," Frankfort Police Major Fred Deaton said, "and they're there to take them in, but if they tell us they won't house the animal, then we have to look for other options."

Police consulted with experts who told them if the animal is a coyote, then their only options are to kill it or return it to its natural habitat. Not wanting to see the animal euthanized, police brought what the Frankfort Humane Society insisted was a coyote to an open field and released her into the wild.

A few days later police recognized Copper on flyers Goodlett had posted, realized the mistake, and began helping Goodlett search. Goodlett says she doesn't blame police, but she did confront those in charge at the Humane Society to confirm they had turned away Copper. "She said yes, she had and that she had thought that it was a coyote and explained to me that the Humane Society could be shut down if they had a coyote there," Goodlett said.

Goodlett can't understand how animal specialists could make such a mistake. "They acted more inhumane than humane."

NEWSFIRST tried to contact the Frankfort Humane Society but was told the director was unavailable and all others were instructed not to talk to the media about this case. A message left for the group's board of directors was not returned.