Puppy stolen from shelter minutes before being adopted

LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- A tiny puppy is stolen from an animal shelter, days before Christmas and minutes before being adopted by a family. On Wednesday, the family decided it wanted a new friend and was back at the shelter.

The puppies were part of a litter of five and all were waiting to be adopted by new families.

On the Friday before Christmas, someone stole one of the puppies as the adopting family was preparing to fill out the paperwork.

“This is where Sophie was stolen from. Someone obviously just got in there and took her,” said Kay Joubert, the Director of Companion Animal Services at PAWS in Lynnwood.

Danielle cooper had her heart set on Sophie, a 12-week-old Chihuahua-dachshund mix.

“I’ve been saving up all my money,” said Cooper, who saved her babysitting money for months to get her new friend.

Cooper had the chance to play with Sophie a few times before she was planning to bring her home in time for Christmas, but instead, she got the bad news.

“Once we got there they pulled us in the back room and told us an unfortunate event or incident happened and they said I can’t have Sophie, which made me really sad,” added Cooper.

On Friday, someone grabbed Sophie from the puppy kennel and snuck her out without being noticed.

“I’ve been here for 21 years and this is only the 3rd time an animal has been stolen from us,” said Joubert.

PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) is open to the public and anyone can walk in and look for a lost pet or a new friend available to adopt.

All the animals are kept behind locked gates, but Joubert said sometimes they’re unlocked to feed or clean the animals and that’s when she believes Sophie was taken.

“To see them whisked away without knowing who has them, is really heartbreaking and scary for all of us,” added Joubert.

Even as the search for Sophie continues, on Wednesday Danielle was back at paws.

“I’m excited but I still miss Sophie, added Cooper.

She got to meet one of Sophie’s available sisters, to see if she’s a fit for the family.

Cooper got to hold the new 2-pound puppy and within seconds, they bonded and a new friendship was formed, but Sophie was not forgotten.

“Yeah, I still miss her. I want both of them,” said Cooper.

PAWS is now going to review its procedures and look at possibly adding security cameras so something like this doesn’t happen again.

Anyone with information on Sophie’s whereabouts is asked to contact PAWS Shelter: 425-787-2500 x822