After Nearly a Year, Stolen Dog Returns to Family

[Shon]

After Nearly a Year, Stolen Dog Returns to Family

Christina Hansen thought she would never see her dog again.

When Sierra was stolen from Hansen's gated backyard kennel last August, Hansen said she thought the worst.

"I thought maybe someone stole her for dog-fighting," Hansen said.

The disappearance of the three-quarter Pitt Bull, one-quarter English Bull Dog was unlucky number three in a series of unfortunate pet-related incidences for Hansen and fiancé Pablo Luna: Sierra's brother choked to death on a backyard leash and her mother had been stolen two years earlier.

Hansen's son, Daniel, now 4, took the dog theft particularly hard. Sierra was born May 25, two weeks before Daniel.

"They were growing up together," Hansen said. "They were best friends."

After a year of recovering from the loss of their pet, Hansen and Luna were warming up to the idea of a house cat. Then Hansen received some unexpected news.

"A friend told me that she had seen Sierra up for adoption," Hansen said.

Confounded, Hansen said the information didn't register until almost a week later.

"I went to the vet and asked about her," Hansen said. "Then the humane society."

There, Hansen said, her hopes were dashed.

"They said they had seen a Pitt Bull mixed-breed that looked like her, but she was pregnant," Hansen said.

Then Hansen received a phone call from Lavonne Korn.

"Close to a year ago I was doing foster care for the humane society, " Korn said. "I got a call about a pregnant dog hanging out by a farmhouse near Armstrong."

A week after Korn picked up the stray dog she named Missy, six puppies were born.

"They looked like a mix of Pitt Bull and Rottweiler," Korn said.

Missy had been up for adoption ever since.

When Hansen saw a picture of Missy on the Internet she knew it was Sierra. After a couple rounds of phone-tag, Korn and Hansen connected. Hansen showed Korn one of Sierra's puppy pictures.

"She started crying," Hansen said. "She was so excited. Then she said, 'I have your dog.'"

Hansen said she couldn't believe it. But Sunday, June 27, Sierra was reunited with her family.

"She's really just gotten right back into it," Hansen said. "It's like she never left."

Korn had mixed feelings.

"When I adopt a dog out I cry," Korn said. "It's sad, it hurts, but I am happy because they found a good home. I was happy to help Missy find her long-lost home."

Korn, who recently became the Freeborn County Humane Society director, said she hopes to help more people like Hansen in her new position.

"We have started a log of lost and found pets," Korn said. "So we can match up missing dogs and cats with the families that are looking for them."

Hansen said that after her own experience with the humane society she would be more inclined to volunteer.

"It makes me want to help others," Hansen said. "Because I gave up. I never thought I'd see Sierra again. Now we are all a family."

Korn said that in the future, Sierra may even have a chance to be reunited with the rest of her family - her puppies.

"I have the e-mails of the people who adopted the puppies," Korn said. "They send me pictures and may be interested in a family reunion."

Korn said she was glad this story had a happy ending, and advised those who have lost a pet not to give up.

"Keep looking," she said. "You don't know what you might find."

[LA_Headhunters]

Great Story...

[Crash97]

Real nice story, great to hear they got their dog back.

[Deep south]

great for them.....

[miakoda]

great story, i wish they all ended that way. maybe one day soon I will tell my story, but I have a lot to overcome. It's too painful....

[princess_koka]

It's good that they found her after all that time. Hang in there Miakoda.

[5555]

sounds like the dog escaped and wasnt stolen after all

[circlekpits]

It is nice to hear that some people out there are getting their stolwn dogs back. I know when they stole some of ours it was heart breaking and to the day I am thankful for the people that worked hard to get our dogs back for us. Our last one was returned after being stolen for 5 1/2 months. It was a lot of work trying get all the leads checked out but it definitely was well worth it. I think our Animal Control Officers did an excellent job and actually quite a few more pits in the area that were stolen and returned them to as many owners as they could find. I had people calling me all the time asking about our dogs and telling about the ones they got stole. If they had pictures I fowarded them to our Animal Control Officers. As of right now I still get phone calls and occassionally we recover another dog. It has just been of a year and I think they have found 10 to 15 dogs since then.

[carson3535]

nice talking about luck and love

[miakoda]

My favorite female who was 6 years old was stolen from my parents house (where I had spent the week). It was aobut 7:30 in the morning & I had just let 5 of my dogs into their back yard (which is privacy fenced by 8 ft. fencing w/heavy duty padlocks on both gates) to run & play for a little bit while I took my bath. Now, my parents live in one of the nicest, lowest crime neighbors in Baton Rouge. But at about 7:50 my mom came into the bathroom crying & said that while she was also in the shower, comeone cut through the padlock on one of the gates, & all my dogs were gone (including my brothers 2 ten year old labs). By the time I got dressed, an animal control officer showed up with 2 of my dogs--my shar/pei/cane corso & one of my apbt females (1 yr old). My bulldogge & 1 of my males were still missing along with my favorite female. The an.c. officer was an ass & claimed that the 2 dogs (which are my friendliest 2) were terrorrizing people in the neighborhood! I let my mom deal with him since I heard my male, Shaker, barking next door. He had gotten into their bakcyard & was playing with their husky (thank God they weren't home). As my mom was trying to make the a.c. officer understand that someone broke into the yard (we didn't just let them run loose) I noticed a lot of blood on the concrete near the fence gate. I didn't know if it came from my still missing female, buts ince she hated men (a lot!) & sure as hell would not go willingly with a stranger, I was & am hoping it came from the guys who took her! After 1 week of searching, my brothers got their labs back, but no sign of Akee. Life went on without her. This all happened on May 78, 2004. It was about 6:15 pm on June 25, 2004 & I was at work, when I got a call from a sheriff saying that a narcotics raid in Holden, LA resulted in finding 29 apbts. Mine was one of them. I just got directions, I didn't want to know at that time was might have happend to her so I just went there. My friend who is a state trooper was also involved (he works in narcotics) & wanted me to try & positively identify the dog he thought was Akee. I was not prepared for what I saw. There were dogs everyone chained up on chains nor more that 2-2.5 feet long. Although I was still hoping & praying to find my dog, I didn't want it to end this way. She was in fact there (I was armed with several photos of her & she had been tattooed by her breeder [fyi-don't like tattooing]). I found her chained to a tree--dead. Her body was still in rigor mortis show she hadn't been dead long. She was a skeleton. after hours of waiting on police to finish, I was able to take her body back to B.R. where my bosses (both vets) did a necropsy on her. The necropsy showed that she had been starved to death & had only been dead since that morning. My dog was not the only one to suffer that fate that day. There were 3 other dead dogs still chained up & the remainder were in bad shape. Most had old scars, but the majority sported fresh & lifethreatening wounds. Many dogs were painlessly "released" from their hell they had been living in that night, although some are still beeing held awaiting litigation to begin. It seems that there were 5 main guys who were the head of this operation. Although the state had enough to put them away, I am also being able to press charges. Although I have never heard of or met these guys before, & they claim they got my dog from someone who got her from someong, they are still held liable as she was in their possession. I am meeting with police & the lawyers involved for the first time in January. I will get my revenge on these assholes who tooke my most prized & loved possession & let her suffer a life she had never known all b/c some backyard breeders & fighters wanted to have a little fun on weekends. Just a little background on Akee. She was a tight bred daughter off of Ratliff's Butkus who never once hesitated when asked to do something. She was the best damn hog dog & weight pull dog I ever had. Although she wasn't the friendliest with strangers, she might not have let you through the door, she would have let your children in, as she was fond of "little people". That's my story & I hope that none of you would ever have to go through that, but the sad reality is that probably some of you have already had to. Take care of your dogs & love your dogs. They don't ask for much.

[Marty]

I truly hope they hang the bastards that done this...

I am very sorry about your loss and my prayers go out to you.

let us know how it comes out.

[CRG]

sorry about you're loss.i hope these assholes get what they deserve.