When the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office received its new area rugs featuring pictures of a sheriff’s badge, no one in the headquarters noticed anything amiss. The pair of rugs sat innocently on the floor as deputies, office workers, and civilians walked over them. The rugs might have gone on for years as just another part of the backdrop of the Pinellas County Sheriff Department Headquarters, had one deputy failed to look down on January 14th. What he saw changed the fate of the rugs forever.
There, in the center of the sheriff badge woven into the rug, were the words “In Dog We Trust.” The other rug had been made as ordered, featuring “In God We Trust” instead. As the office received several emails about the typo, they removed the rug from its place on the floor and began investigating how the error came to be. They discovered only that the proof had been submitted correctly, and that the manufacturer had made an error somewhere along the line. The Sheriff’s Office stated that they were working with the manufacturer to obtain a replacement rug.
But what happened with the “dog” rug? The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department placed the offending rug on the internet for auction on January 15th. When the auction closed at 4p.m. on the 18th, the winning bid was $9,650. The rug was originally valued at $500.
The auction winner wished to remain anonymous, but the Sheriff’s Department described them to WTSP News as “a strong supporter of law enforcement and a dog lover.” The proceeds of the auction were combined with a $500 donation by the Florida State Elk’s Association and donated to local charity Canine Estates. Canine Estates is located in Palm Harbor, Florida, and is dedicated to saving the lives of abused and neglected dogs. They rehabilitate and rehome dogs from high-kill shelters and rely entirely on donations from the public.