KIPU — One of six dogs stolen from an animal shelter more than a week ago was returned Wednesday morning. Arianna, a two-month old lab mix puppy, was found and returned by a group of teenagers around 9 a.m. Wednesday
KIPU — One of six dogs stolen from an animal shelter more than a week ago was returned Wednesday morning.
Arianna, a two-month old lab mix puppy, was found and returned by a group of teenagers around 9 a.m. Wednesday to the Kauai Humane Society, said Matthew Richardson, KHS field services manager.
“They called and possibly suspected it was one of the dogs taken,” Richardson said. “We scanned it and cleaned it and it was confirmed that it was one of the puppies taken.”
Penny Cistaro, KHS executive director, said the teenagers found the tan and white puppy wandering alongside the highway in Kekaha. It was in good health.
“I really appreciate the ones that found the puppy and recognize that that’s the one from the picture (in The Garden Island),” Cistaro said.
Arianna is scheduled to be transferred to the Mainland, Cistaro said, where she will likely be quickly adopted.
Cistaro suspects that four of the dogs stolen the weekend of May 14 were targeted because they had recently been picked up. They had no tags or chips.
“We came in Sunday morning and the dogs were gone,” Cistaro said.
Thieves broke in by cutting a lock on a gate and climbing through a window between late Saturday and early Sunday.
Cistaro and Richardson urge the public to be on the lookout for the other stolen dogs. Three are female pit bull mixes, ranging from two to seven years old; while the other two are female Airedales that are two and five years old.
“It’s going to take the community’s involvement to try and get them back,” Cistaro said.
Meanwhile, KHS plans to increase security measures to prevent break-ins.
A reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the burglary is being offered by the Humane Society of the United States.
Anyone with information may call Police Dispatch at 241-1711. Anonymous callers my call CrimeStoppers at 246-8300.
