Stolen pit bull pup found in Oakland
The last of three puppies stolen from a San Francisco animal rescue organization was recovered Saturday.
A Good Samaritan found Huey, a 2monthold pit bull with a skin disease, abandoned in East Oakland, the Family Dog Rescue announced on Facebook,
The Good Samaritan phoned a Berkeley shelter, which directed her back to the dog rescue after realizing the puppy’s description matched Huey’s.
“We are so grateful to everyone in the Bay Area who helped us get our three puppies back,” the rescue organization’s Facebook post said. “It truly takes a village!”
The puppies were taken Wednesday night from the Family Dog Rescue shelter in the Bayview neighborhood. Two of the puppies, purebred female huskies, were offered for sale online for $800 each.
Another Good Samaritan, who discovered the sale listing, contacted police and agreed to cooperate in a sting operation, officials said. Working with the Hayward police, the unidentified person offered to buy the puppies at a Starbucks. The two puppies were recovered in a car parked outside the coffee shop, according to a Facebook post by Family Dog Rescue.
Two suspects were arrested, according to the post. Their names were not released by San Francisco police, who are handling the investigation.
In Huey’s case, shelter employees were concerned for the pup’s health.
The 8weekold male pit bull suffers from a skin disease that is treatable with prescription drugs but can be fatal without treatment. A picture posted to the rescue’s Facebook page Saturday shows Huey enjoying a small cup of whipped cream — known as a puppuccino — donated by a Starbucks in Berkeley.
A burglar apparently broke a padlock at the front gate of the shelter and stole the dogs, along with computer equipment and the contents of employees’ lockers, said Angela Padilla, who founded the shelter in 2010.
“I’m sick, distraught and heartbroken,” Padilla said. “I can’t believe the world has come to this.”