The dog of Georgia Southern University biology professor Lance Durden has been returned back to its home after being confiscated as the result of an animal cruelty incident.

“(The dog) was released back to the owner. Actually, the wife came up and said she was the actual owner of the dog,” Christopher Ivey, a Humane Enforcement Officer at the Bulloch County Animal Shelter, said.

 Ivey confirmed he was the officer who picked up Durden’s dog at the scene of the incident.

“I arrived there around five or so, maybe five-thirty or six o’clock, to meet the officer who was there,” Ivey said.

 The dog, a seven-year-old pit bull-pointer mix, was brought to the animal shelter following Durden’s arrest for animal cruelty, Ivey said.

 “(The dog) was somewhat scared, but that’s normal for any dog that’s been taken away from its owner,” Ivey said.

 The dog is still in the care of Durden’s wife while the criminal process continues, Ivey said.