A cautionary tail
The devoted animal lover, her four-year international quest and a 60-page legal ruling... all to rescue two VERY cute pups Rufus and Luna (who are STILL missing)
WHEN they were sent to Scotland from a rescue centre in Spain, Rufus and Luna were meant to end up in a safe and loving home.
Instead, the two adorable puppies have found themselves at the centre of an extraordinary and protracted legal battle.
For four years, the ownership of the two black-and-white shorttailed terriers has been in dispute and their whereabouts has been a mystery. Meanwhile rewards have been offered, private investigators have been hired and fortunes have been spent on legal fees.
Now a sheriff has issued a remarkable 60-page judgment demanding that the dogs be returned to the owner of the Spanish rescue home they came from, with a warning of further legal action and even prison for non-compliance.
But the woman who agreed to rehome Rufus and Luna in Glasgow says she has no idea where they are. And Anne Wager, who runs a rescue home in Alicante, is no closer to a reunion despite winning the court case. She said last night: ‘I just want what’s best for the dogs. I need to know where they are and that they are wellcared for and happy.’
But Jennifer Steenson, who agreed to rehome the puppies, said: ‘I don’t have them. If I had known the effect it has had, I would never have got involved.’
The saga began in early 2013, when full-time dog rescuer Mrs Wager saved a pregnant dog from a pound in Spain. A week later the dog gave birth to four puppies, and Mrs Wager worked to find them homes.
Miss Steenson got in contact, saying she lived in a two-storey home with a fenced-in garden in the South Side of Glasgow, perfect for dogs. After Mrs Wager carried out checks on the property, the puppies left Spain for Scotland in June 2013.
But by the time the dogs arrived, Miss Steenson was living in a firstfloor flat, and then moved to a string of different addresses. After reassuring Mrs Wager the dogs were fine, she then cut off all contact.
Suspicious, Mrs Wager set out to uncover the fate of the animals. At one stage she hired a private investigator and, with the backing of supporters, even offered a reward of £2,500.
Finally, in desperation she launched a small claims case at Glasgow Sheriff Court where, on June 1, Sheriff Stuart Reid ordered Miss Steenson to return the dogs or face further action. In a written judgment he stated that Miss Steenson had ‘repeatedly sought to mislead’ and ‘refused to communicate with’ Mrs Wager about her address or the dogs’ whereabouts.
Stating that Mrs Wager has ‘a deep and abiding affection for the dogs and a genuine concern for their welfare’, the sheriff ordered Miss Steenson to return the animals or face further action.
After the ruling, Mrs Wager, 64, said: ‘I’ve got some fantastic adopters, but it only takes one to make you question people.
‘It’s heart-breaking but I just have to keep hoping because, until I find them, I can’t and won’t stop looking.’
Tracked down to a first-floor flat in the south of Glasgow, Miss Steenonline son, a single mother of four, told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘I would have said far sooner than now if I knew where they were. I have no idea where they are.’
Miss Steenson added: ‘If she wants to continue looking for them, I won’t stop her.
‘But the allegations against me have been horrendous. I have had health issues over this.
‘I wish I had never got involved in the first place.’
‘I need to know they are well cared for, happy’