Michigan woman thinks she’s getting a free dog, winds up with a hyena

Monica thought she was walking away with a newborn puppy several weeks ago after she says a man was handing them out at Papaya Fruit Market in Detroit, Michigan.“He told me it was a German Shepherd puppy,” said Monica.Immediately smitten, Monica says in the days and weeks that followed, she noticed something was off and that the animal was a tremendous jumper.“It was making a strange noise … it’s already funny-looking, so we just thought … maybe something was wrong with it, we took it to the vet,” she said.Monica’s hyena pupBut the veterinarian didn’t have good news.“The vet said, ‘no, this is not a German Shepherd,’” said Monica. “They did do blood work on the animal, but they said from the looks, the way it acts … everything, it was a hyena.”After they broke the news to her, Monica said they then called animal control, telling her it was illegal to keep the animal.Worried they were going to kill the hyena, Monica said she left quickly.“Sometimes she acts like a cat, like when I’m sleeping … it’s like a regular animal,” Monica said. “I feel like my animals are my children.”Monica said the man outside the fruit market had about five hyena pups he was giving away. Other people out there may not realize they have a hyena pup.According to Dr. Nora Wineland, State Veterinarian, and MDARD Animal Industry Division Director, “There are no state restrictions in Michigan related to owning or possessing a hyena. Hyenas are legal to own at a state level in Michigan, and no state permit or license is required. Although hyenas are legal to own at a state level, there could be local restrictions at a city, township, or county level.”Detroit Animal Control said they are not legal in the city.“Pretty much if you don’t own a dog, cat, ferret, guinea pig, or a similar pocket pet that you could pick up at a local pet shop, those animals are going to be illegal,” said Mark Kumpf, director of Detroit Animal Care. “Anything that you would see running loose in the wild, anything that might appear in a zoo or a circus, the rule is those aren’t going to be acceptable in a regular home.Monica said she plans to keep her hyena, whatever it takes.“I’m prepared to move if they need me to move,” she said.This story was first reported by our Detroit sister station WXYZ.