By Judy Masterson
July 4, 2011 8:12PM
Peanut
An Antioch woman has been charged with the theft of a Round Lake Beach family’s pet chihuahua.
Betty Peltier, 60, of Antioch was arrested by Round Lake Beach Police on July 2 after she attempted to return three-year-old Peanut to his family, according to Monica Hidalgo, the dog’s owner.
Hidalgo, who had offered a $1,000 reward for the dog that went missing on June 21, said she received several calls from Peltier last week inquiring about the reward.
“She said she had the dog, but kept asking ‘Are you sure you have the money?’” Hidalgo, said.
The family was unaware that the two-pound Peanut had slipped out of the house while a son was bringing in groceries, Hidalgo said. But the police, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, had some good leads. In addition to the phone calls, a neighbor had seen a woman in a vehicle stop and scoop up Peanut from the 1800 block of North Nicole Lane.
Peanut’s disappearance drew public interest because he was a therapy dog for Hidalgo’s severely autistic son, Mariano Paredas, 9, who stopped eating after the pet’s disappearance.
A Glendale Heights man, who learned of the family’s loss, paid for a new dog, another chihuahua, Oliver, who arrived recently from Oklahoma.
Hidalgo, who said she had planned to use her mortgage money for the reward, will keep both dogs. She said Peanut has been skittish since his return, has growled at family members, and is ignoring overtures from Oliver.
“I’m so happy and so relieved he’s back,” Hidalgo said. “Life just wasn’t normal while Peanut was gone.”
Source: http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/6342604-418/missing-therapy-dog-found.html
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