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Stolen East Sooke puppies returned

Plight of other Sooke Region animals good and bad
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Two of the Jack Russell puppies that were stolen last week from an East Sooke property have been returned.

Don Kotzer was holding viewings Sunday to try and set his four puppies up with new families. One was adopted around 1 p.m., then around 2 p.m. a young couple came to adopt a puppy, but they also stole the two remaining dogs.

The woman picked the puppy she wanted, handed Kotzer cash for the adoption, and then “left in a hurry” before filling out any paperwork.

After the woman left, Kotzer called for the remaining two puppies, only to find that they were gone. Kotzer said the man must have grabbed the other two dogs while the woman was paying.

RELATED: Two puppies snatched from East Sooke home

Kotzer’s daughter, Sam Kotzer, quickly called the police and jumped to social media to try and track down the puppies.

Her post received thousands of shares and comments, and she ended up receiving a photo of a man holding the stolen dogs.

Then yesterday, Kotzer arrived home to find that two of the puppies had been returned. Kotzer saw on a surveillance tape that a woman had dropped them off and left.

“They must have got scared from all the attention on social media, and that we were close to catching them,” said Kotzer. “I am so happy to have the two puppies returned home. They are traumatized and it seems they haven’t been fed or given any water. I still want my third puppy back though, those people are criminals and do not deserve to have a dog.”

Kotzer said when he arrived home, the two puppies greeted him with love and excitement, and he can’t wait to spend more time with them.

RELATED: Sooke couple seeks to rescue Aruban street dog

Another happy ending for pet owners in Sooke was for Jewel Black and Brian Rundle, who adopted Ruby the street dog earlier this month.

They say since Ruby’s arrival things have been going better than ever anticipated, and that she gets along great with their other dog Kaylahn and their cat Taz.

“We were a little worried that Ruby and the cat wouldn’t get along, but there hasn’t been any problems. It’s like everything was just meant to be,” said Black.

Black said the only small issue they’ve had with the dog, is that she likes to stay outside too much and tries to hunt rabbits, so sometimes they have a hard time getting her to come in the house.

“She is just fascinated by everything, she loves watching birds, squirrels and other animals and going for walks,” said Black. “Now we are just working on getting her socialized with other dogs, but we have been so incredibly happy since she’s been here. She’s so well behaved and we love her so much.”

Things have not worked out as well for Sooke pet owner Steven Aresnault though, whose green-wing macaw named Rufas is still missing.

RELATED: Sooke macaw still missing

Rufus has been missing since October, but Aresnault has not given up hope. He says he has found some new leads and the search remains active.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride of false stories, ranging from people hearing and seeing him, to killing him for fun. Too many stories to count,” said Aresnault. “But we aren’t giving up until we get to the bottom of this.”



editor@sookenewsmirror.com

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