Owner pleads for stolen dog's return
Posted at: 12/18/2009
By: Kayla Anderson, Eyewityness News 4; Taryn Bianchin, KOB.com
An Albuquerque woman is devastated after someone stole the dog that helped detect her breast cancer.
Reverend Josephina Chavez put her 11-year-old Maltese, Contessa, outside Tuesday morning. A couple of minutes later, her neighbor came over and told Chavez what she had seen. "She told her, ‘someone just came, drove up to your house, picked up your dog and put it in the car’," retold Karina Mora, granddaughter of the neighbor.
Chavez’s doctor certified Contessa as a service dog because she pawed at Chavez's chest before doctors found breast cancer.
The good news is the dog is micro-chipped.
“At some point or another, if somebody is bound and determined to take your pet, down the road, that'll catch up with them," said city animal welfare spokesman Rick de Reyes.
It’s been four days and Contessa hasn’t returned. Chavez says if the dog-napper won't return Contessa, they need to know that she has health problems and needs special food.
Chavez doesn't have money for a reward, but says if someone wants to come forward one way or another, she'll pay whatever she can.
"If you don't give her back, please take care of her. But, if you ever not want her, bring her back. No questions asked. Just throw her in the yard… No questions asked," Chavez said.
Source: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1322678.shtml
Woman reunited with stolen dog
Posted 12/19/2009 8:08 PM
By: Cristina Rodda, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com
A breast cancer survivor in search of her greatest companion got her Christmas miracle when her dog "Contessa" was returned home.
Less than 12 hours after Rev. Josephina Chavez made a public plea for the safe return of her Maltese, "Contessa," she got the call she'd been praying for, thanks to one of our viewers.
John Cormier saw our report Friday, and said Saturday, "We were sitting there going why would anyone throw this lovely dog out? It's just perfect. It didn't make sense to us. When we saw the story, then it started to make sense. We knew right away that was the dog."
Rev. Chavez could not hold back the tears when she was returned with her dog "Contessa." Rev. Chavez said "Contessa" made her aware of her breast cancer by pawing at the area before it was diagnosed..
When she talked to our cameras on Friday, she didn't know that "Contessa" was safe. Cormier's mother-in-law had found it.
It turns out, whoever took "Contessa" just stopped in a neighborhood and threw it out of the car the same day it went missing.
Cormier says they took her into their home.
"We named her Christmas because of the miracle," Cormier said. "We thought we'd saved this dog but we think the real miracle is that we found her rightful owner."
The Cormier family tried to find the dog's owner, but found out its microchip wasn't registered.
They planned on keeping it until they saw the story.
Chavez says this isn't the first time someone's tried to take "Contessa," but she plans on putting a larger fence around her home to keep it from happening again.
Source: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1323124.shtml
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