Steve Fanelli and Shawn Donovan said their Lhasa Apso, named Andy Fanelli, received a notice in the mail from AFNI collections informing the canine he owes $142.34 for Verizon service, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, reported Thursday.

"The point is that Andy has never had a Verizon account. We were just curious why this showed up," Steve Fanelli said.

Verizon said the bill was meant for a man named Andy Fanelli who lives on the other side of the country.

"Just because there's an Andy Fanelli back east doesn't mean you send a letter to an Andy Fanelli in California," Donovan said. "There has to be something else to connect it."

AFNI said the confusion may have resulted from the fact that the canine Andy Fanelli has his own American Express card, which Donovan obtained when it was offered for "family members."

"It's an active card. From time to time I take my girlfriend's to lunch on Andy," Donovan said.

Verizon Online said it canceled the debt.