Interest in owning the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office door mat with the unusual typo is reaching unexpected heights.
After Sheriff Bob Gualtieri decided last week to auction off the rug that reads "In Dog We Trust" instead of "In God We Trust," the online bidding took off.
When the auction closed Wednesday at 4 p.m., the final bid was $9,650. The rug initially cost the department about $500.
The identity of the winning bidder is not yet known.
The money for the “doggone rug” is being donated to Canine Estates, Inc., a grassroots dog rescue shelter in Palm Harbor.
“I knew that the sheriff's office paid $500 for it,” said founder Jane Sidwell. “So I thought well, that's great. We'll get $500. But we had no idea it would escalate into what it has.”
Sidwell says the money will be used primarily for medical bills.
“A lot of these dogs just come in in absolute terrible shape," Sidwell said. "Just terrible, with abscessed teeth, they're not spayed or neutered, just in terrible condition.”
Sheriff’s officials say, the winner of the auction is from Florida, but wants to remain anonymous.
The online action attracted nearly 31,000 hits and 83 bids from across the country. Last year, Canine Estates placed 186 dogs in permanent homes.