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NORWALK, Conn. – A puppy that was stolen from a Norwalk store and taken to West Haven before being reclaimed is expected to move to his permanent home in New York's Westchester County Saturday.
The then 12-week-old English bulldog was stolen from Puppies of Westport on July 9 by a man who was accompanied by a young boy, according to Norwalk Police. Detectives accompanied owner Monty Kaufman to West Haven on July 13 and found the dog on a porch without air conditioning or water.
Police have a suspect but an arrest has not yet been made.
Kaufman said five people requested to buy the dog, which he said last week was worth about $4,000. "We didn't do that because we want to make sure we has the right home," he said. "They seem perfect and they're going to come on Saturday."
If the deal goes through, the larceny victim will live about 100-yards from one of his litter-mates. One of Kaufman's customers, who lives in Westchester and bought the puppy's sibling, called and said a neighbor was interested in buying the dog.
Kaufman found his stolen puppy thanks to tips from the public. If Norwalk Police had not gone with him to West Haven he wouldn't have gotten the dog back, as the resident of the home came to the door and professed no knowledge of the puppy.
Kaufman said the dog was a little dehydrated when he got back and was put on antibiotics "to be safe."
He said he and his wife would have kept the dog but they already have 11 at home. Their goal was to find him the right home and give him a name, unlike most puppies that come their way.
They chose "Champ," but they don't know if it will stick. "My wife doesn't want to force the name on the people," Kaufman said. "We're going to talk to them about it and we'll see."
Comments (2)
Well said, lwitherspoon. You can go to animal control and save a pet for next to nothing, plus get a certificate for a discounted spay/neuter. Or, you can adopt a fully vetted pet from one of the local rescues for well under the cost of an exam and spay at a local vet. Mr. Kaufman neglects to mention the huge dangers of parvovirus, ringworm, intestinal parasites, and serious genetic anomalies that come with animals mass produced in puppy mills. He should donate that ridiculous amount of money to one of the local rescue groups.
What a giant ripoff at $4000 when you can adopt a dog from the shelter for next to nothing, and have the added benefit of saving an animal from being put down.
I'm glad the Police were able to recover the stolen puppy, but I was offended by Mr. Kaufman's recent post in the comments section of the Hour. In a diatribe with lots of capital letters, he claimed that it's dangerous and financially risky to adopt from shelters. Coincidentally, Mr. Kaufman makes his living selling purebreds, but I'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with his opinion on the "huge danger" of shelter adoptions. He simply believes that it's better to pay him $4,000 for a purebred, while leaving shelter animals to be humanely put to death. Perhaps as a public service he could start an advertising campaign on the supposed dangers of adopting shelter animals, so that the adoption rate will go to zero and they can ALL be put down.