Boys puppy stolen
By Roselee Papandrea / Times-News
March 15, 2008 - 8:17PM
SWEPSONVILLE NC - Eleven-year-old Nathan Stutts just wants his little dog back.
His 3-pound chocolate Chihuahua, named Copper, has been missing since Thursday, and Copper's owners think someone took him.
Copper, a 3-pound chocolate Chihuahua, has been missing since Thursday.
Copper got out of Amanda Cantrell's house on East Main Street in Swepsonville at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday. Cantrell's boyfriend was cutting the grass in the back yard at the time. Copper followed Cantrell's 5-year-old son out the door.
About an hour later, Cantrell, who was still at work, learned that the dog was missing.
"When I got home, we started walking up and down the street calling him," Cantrell said.
They searched everywhere for Copper and asked neighbors if they had seen the 6-month-old puppy. One neighbor said he saw someone in a "red, bus-type vehicle" stop and pick up the Chihuahua.
"He said they stopped the vehicle, opened the door, called the dog over and he jumped in," Cantrell said.
The neighbor assumed the driver of the vehicle was going to return Copper to his owners, but it never happened. Nathan is heartbroken about his dog and continues to worry about Copper's welfare.
"That night he asked, ‘What if he's dead? What if they killed him?' I just tell him to think happy thoughts and pray someone cares enough to bring him home," Cantrell said.
Copper already had an appointment to be neutered at the beginning of April. He was wearing a black nylon collar with little skulls on it. His collar had a bell on it, a heart-shaped rabies tag and a gold medallion with his name and Cantrell's phone number on one side and her address on the back.
"My thought is that nobody is going to bring him home," Cantrell said. "I just wish someone would find it in their heart and think about this little boy. What makes me so mad is that he was properly tagged. I did what I needed to do to let people know this dog has a home."
Cantrell reported Copper stolen to the Alamance County Sheriff's Department. She's put an ad in the Times-News and is making fliers to put up in area veterinary offices.
Nathan continues to hope that someone will return the dog he's had since November.
"That was his buddy. I tell him, ‘Keep praying,'" Cantrell said. "All you can do is pray and hope that someone will find it in their heart."
Anyone with information about Copper can call ********.
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- I saw this story in the paper this morning and thought my Internet friends would be interested.
- That boy loves and misses his puppy. I hate it got stolen and feel sad for him.
- Maybe the people who took it will return him, even though I am doubtful that will happen.
- I don't think they want to kill it. Hopefully, they will take good care, love, and give that cute little puppy a good life.
Comments
By Roselee Papandrea / Times-News
March 16, 2008 - 8:17PM
SWEPSONVILLE NC - The missing 3-pound Chihuahua named Copper, that has been missing from his East Main Street home since Thursday, was returned to his owners Sunday morning.
Amanda Cantrell's phone rang at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday morning. The woman calling told Cantrell that she had her dog.
"I didn't get her name," Cantrell said. "I didn't ask any questions. She just said, ‘We have your dog.'"
Cantrell threw on some clothes and headed to the woman's home on Swepsonville Road, which is about five miles from where Cantrell lives. She was thrilled to be reunited with Copper, a chocolate Chihuahua.
"Honestly, we were hoping we'd see him again," Cantrell said. "It was a welcomed surprise. It goes to show that prayers are answered."
Copper got out of Cantrell's house on Thursday afternoon. He followed Cantrell's 5-year-old son out the door.
A neighbor told Cantrell that they saw someone in a red vehicle pick up the dog.
Cantrell said the dog was wearing a collar with a heart-shaped rabies tag and a gold medallion with a phone number and address on it.
Cantrell thought someone took the dog and filed a report with the Alamance County Sheriff's Department. The woman told Cantrell that the dog didn't have a tag on him when she found him. She read about the missing dog in a story that ran in Sunday's Times-News.
"I know he had tags on when he left here," Cantrell said. "She said she thought he was a stray. She told us we needed to be more responsible. I said thank you and walked off."
Cantrell called the sheriff's department to let deputies know that she found her dog. She was asked if she wanted to press charges. She declined.
Copper's return home was great news for Cantrell's 11-year-old son, Nathan Stutts, who was spending the weekend with his father. Nathan was heartbroken after he learned that his dog was missing.
"He kept calling (Saturday) to see if we found him yet," Cantrell said. "I called him (Sunday) morning and said, ‘Nathan, guess what?' I told him we had Copper and we went and picked Nathan up. He was tickled to death. We were all teary-eyed."
Despite spending four days away from home, the six-month-old Copper was doing well Sunday.
"He's great," Cantrell said. "He's really licked us. I think he's excited."
Copper already has a new collar.
On Monday, Cantrell plans to get him a new rabies tag and name tag.
She's also considering having a microchip put in the pup so that if he ever gets lost again and loses his collar, he can easily be returned to his owners.
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I have some good news to share. Nathan has his puppy back. I'm glad for him and the cute little puppy.
* He kept on praying and never gave up on seeing Copper again, alive and well.
* The people that took him weren't going to harm him...no decent person would.
* I'll bet Nathan will take great care of Copper, having learned from this experience.
* This story turned out to have a happy ending...and that's cool. :)
I'm glad to near Copper was returned. It really sounds like that person took the dog but had second thoughts once news about it was getting around. Then again, maybe the person who picked up the dog thought that it had wandered far from its home and so they picked it up and took it with the intentions of returning it. Though it seems with the dog tags and such they would have done it sooner?
Oh well, Copper is safe now!