 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
Puppy stolen from SPCA RCMP opens file after fluffy young dog goes missing from shelter
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, August 23, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The search is on for a five-week-old puppy after the NWT SPCA reported the dog stolen from its Kam Lake shelter earlier this week.
NWT SPCA president Nicole Spencer guards Half-Pint and Chubs, two of the four remaining siblings of missing puppy, Conner. Conner was first noticed missing when volunteer Jennifer Papineau opened the shelter Wednesday morning. It is suspected that whoever took the puppy got in through a side door which was left unlocked. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
The mixed-breed husky goes by the name of Conner and weighs approximately seven pounds. He is described as being fluffy, with creamy white fur and beige-tinted floppy ears.
Jennifer Papineau, who volunteers at the SPCA's shelter, said the puppy was last seen on Tuesday night. She was the first one to notice the dog missing when she opened the shelter Wednesday morning.
"We were just doing the cleaning and the puppies are in this separate room with a closed door. We went into clean them and feed them and there was only four puppies when there was supposed to be five," said Papineau.
After noticing the puppy was missing, Papineau contacted the employee in charge of closing the shelter Tuesday night. The employee confirmed that all the dogs were accounted for before she left at 8 p.m. Monday night.
While trying to figure out how the puppy could have gone missing, Papineau discovered the side door had been left unlocked.
"We don't know if someone entered through the side and tried to take a puppy home," said Papineau.
Papineau says she contacted NWT SPCA president Nicole Spencer, who then notified the RCMP.
The RCMP did not return calls seeking comment by press time.
Spencer said she did not have any leads as to who could have taken the puppy, but said she did not suspect any of the shelter's employees or volunteers.
"I'm thinking somebody was either out and they wanted a pup, or they were just out there poking around and discovered a door open and went in," said Spencer.
Spencer said she went out to the shelter on her lunch break.
She says the circumstances of the theft are strange because no cash or merchandise was taken from the facility.
"Nothing else was taken, nothing seemed out of the ordinary," said Spencer.
She says the shelter does have an alarm system, but they've been having problems with it recently and haven't been using it.
There are also no security cameras at the shelter. Spencer said getting cameras installed would be expensive, but in light of the incident she believes they would be worth the investment.
"Because it is out in the middle of nowhere we do really need it for the protection of the dogs, as well as when volunteers and employees are out there alone," said Spencer.
Spencer said the puppy, which does not have any vaccinations yet, is still young and part of a litter with four other puppies. Her greatest fear is that the dog will not receive the care it
needs.
She is asking for veterinarians to keep their eyes open for the puppy and asks anyone who sees a dog fitting its description to contact either the SPCA or the RCMP.
She added that although she has contacted police, she is more concerned about making sure the puppy is safe than finding out who took the dog.
"If they are feeling guilty and want to do what's best for the pup, they can drop it off at one of the vets or drop it off in front of our shelter during the day," said Spencer. "They can anonymously drop the dog off and walk away."
In the event the puppy is not returned, Spencer hopes whoever has the dog takes care of it.
"I honestly just hope the pup goes into a good home and is not mistreated," she said.
| 
