Family ‘grateful’ after stolen dog found safe
Muffy the Yorkie was taken from her owners’ home on Oct. 3
Three weeks of endless worrying, stress and fear came to a close Monday when Monica Niemkiewicz and her parents were reunited with their 6-year-old Yorkie, Muffy.
“I’m so appreciative and grateful for all the support I received,” Niemkiewicz said, after having her dog back for two days.
Their Etobicoke home had been broken into during the afternoon of Oct. 3. When the family returned home, Niemkiewicz said, they noticed their back door and gate were open.
“Initially, we thought that she ran away, until we realized that her harness and her leash were missing,” she said.
Immediately, she started a campaign to look for her dog. She created a Facebook page and posted a $2,000 reward.
Numerous people called her, alerting her to Yorkies they’d seen in the Islington Ave. and The Westway area. But none of them were Muffy.
After a couple weeks had passed, Niemkiewicz was beginning to lose hope. Then a new lead popped up.
Last Thursday, the family discovered an ad for a Yorkie placed on Kijiji.
“It was very obvious it was not their dog because most ads say the age, the gender, if the dog is spayed or neutered — all of these details that a true dog owner would know,” she said. For Muffy’s ad, it only included details of the breed and that “she was a good dog.”
The family alerted the Toronto police, Det. Mike Allen said.
Police set up a meeting with the seller and determined it was, in fact, Muffy the Yorkie.
Now, the entire family is thrilled to have Muffy back home, though Niemkiewicz said the pup hasn’t returned to her normal self yet. The typically sassy Yorkie, as Niemkiewicz described, is a lot more anxious now.
“She lost a lot of weight,” she said.
To be safe, Niemkiewicz took Muffy to the vet, where the small terrier was given a clean bill of health.
“We’re optimistic she’ll go back to normal soon.”