GREENVILLE/NEENAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A puppy worth almost $400 was stolen from the Fox Valley Humane Association this weekend… only to be surrendered to another area animal shelter a day later.
A stressful couple of days for Dorothy, a 4-month-old Sharpei-mix puppy, and the staff at the Fox Valley Humane Association.
Vicki Prey, the Outagamie County humane officer, tells WLUK…
“One of our staff noticed today that a puppy was missing from a litter of five that was surrendered to us over the weekend.”
That missing puppy was Dorothy.
After doing a full sweep of the shelter, Prey says staff found some suspicious security footage, leading them to believe the dog was stolen.
“It appears that they were a little aware of our camera system here. They used a back door to get out of the shelter, and parked in a very strategically located stall” Little did the Fox Valley Humane staff know, Dorothy was dropped off at the Neenah Animal Shelter.
Ellen Pichler, the shelter coordinator at the Neenah Animal Shelter, says…
“We had a person come in, say they found a stray dog, so we put the dog’s picture up on Facebook like we always do.”
Pichler says they quickly put two and two together.
“I saw on Fox Valley Humane’s Facebook page, and I said ‘Wow, that really looks like the dog we have in back.’ So I gave them a call, we confirmed that it was the same dog” Both the Fox Valley Humane Association and the Neenah Animal Shelter say social media played a big role in Dorothy being returned to where she belongs.
“There are various outcomes that could’ve happened to her, so we’re happy she’s back where she should be,” Pichler said.
Humane association officials say stealing Dorothy is a serious offense. But luckily Dorothy, and those caring for her, got a happy ending in this story.
Officials at the Fox Valley Humane Association say the person in the surveillance video matches the description of the person who dropped-off Dorothy in Neenah… but they don’t know who it is.
There’s a $250 reward for information that identifies the puppy thief, and leads to an arrest.