She’s a keeper
Happy ending for family who found stolen puppy,
Snatched from her breeder’s home, found wandering the streets of Pickering and temporarily taken in by a Whitby family, an Argentine Dogo puppy has found a forever home after her long ordeal.
The dog, now named Shelby, will stay with Sarah Cooper and her family after the breeder decided to waive his usual fee. Shelby was stolen from Gurjot Sekhon’s Mississauga home earlier this month in a brazen pepper-spray attack by a group of people posing as potential buyers, according to Peel police.
A friend of Cooper’s found the puppy a week later, wandering on a busy street. That’s when Cooper took her in and the family fell in love.
Hoping to keep Shelby after she melted their hearts, Cooper was disappointed to learn Sekhon had set the price at $1,250, too much for the family with a tuition payment soon due for their older daughter.
Following a visit to Cooper’s Whitby home on Sunday, Sekhon decided the dog belonged with them.
“After everything I have been through, I wasn’t too concerned about the money as I was about ensuring the puppy found a happy home,” he said.
Star readers sent offers to help with the costs after reading Cooper’s story. One even offered a husky puppy from her own family dog’s litter.
“That was amazing what (Sekhon) did, and all the outpouring was fantastic,” Cooper said. “It shocked me.”
Nine-year-old Meghan is delighted to have Shelby around for good, her mom said.
Now they are looking forward to taking walks through the trails in the nearby Heber Down Conservation Area with their other dog, Mya, an Australian shepherd.
“She’s doing very well,” Cooper said. “For what she’s been through, I think she’s a very well-rounded puppy.”
“After everything I have been through, I wasn’t too concerned about the money as I was about ensuring the puppy found a happy home.” GURJOT SEKHON DOG BREEDER