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Updated 56 minutes ago
Four puppies were returned safely to their shelter in South Huntingdon after a pair of suspects stole them overnight, a shelter official said Wednesday.
Sarah Jo Smith, director of the Pet Adoption League, said two suspects broke into the nonprofit, no-kill shelter on Spring Street at about 11 p.m. Monday and removed one of the 8-week-old doberman mix puppies. They then came back at about 1:15 a.m. for the other three puppies in the litter, and shelter staff discovered they were missing Tuesday.
Though surveillance videos didn't show their faces clearly, Smith told police she suspected a teenage couple who had applied to adopt one of the puppies earlier that day. They were rejected because they lived with parents who needed to be included in the adoption screening process, Smith said.
Based on the shelter's information, State Police Trooper Adam Mylant was able to track down the puppies at the male suspect's home in Jeannette, where his father turned the puppies over, Smith said. Mylant then returned the litter to the shelter by about 11 p.m. Tuesday.
“This officer went above and beyond,” Smith said. “The puppies peed and pooped all over his car.”
Smith said the female suspect had been a former volunteer at the shelter. She and the male suspect had not been found during Mylant's search for the puppies and no charges had been filed as of Wednesday morning.
Smith valued the puppies at about $300 each, based on the shelter's puppy adoption fees that cover spaying or neutering, microchips and vaccinations.
Officers at the Belle Vernon state police barracks were unavailable for comment Wednesday morning.
Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6660 or msantoni@tribweb.com.
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