Never Give Up Hope

A feel good story from the morning news. :)


Family finds stolen dog six months later

Posted: Jan 25, 2008 12:42 PM EST


BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - If you have a dog or cat, you know how special they are to your family. Last summer, Victoria Hong's family dog, Chewy, was stolen. Her kids were devastated that someone could do something so heartless. They learned a harsh, life's lesson that there were indeed Cruella DeVille's in real life. Well, just last week, they also learned an amazing lesson of never to give up hope.


Here is Victoria's story, as told by her:

In case you've never met him, pictured on the left is my family's beloved Chewy. We think he's around four-years-old. We adopted him from the Erie County SPCA two-and-a-half years ago.

Gina Browning with the Erie County SPCA said, "It's so rare we have a pure bred Shih Tzu anyway, let alone strays, people aren't hunting for constantly, so highly a unusual situation, almost meant to be."

It was meant to be. The little pooch fit right into our quirky family, so gentle and playful. We named him Chewy, not because he chewed everything wood in our house, but because he looked like Chewbacca, from "Star Wars." We loved that dog.

Last August, my kids did a photo shoot of him. Less than a week later, on a sunny Sunday morning, someone snatched him from our front yard.

"We went all around and put up signs," said Victoria's son Grey.

We scoured the west side, but found no Chewy.

"It was very sad, cause we didn't know what happened to him," said Victoria's daughter Misa.

Neighborhood businesses put up signs and kept a lookout. Though he was fully tagged, no one called, Chewy was gone.

I thought my kids were getting over the loss, but last week, my son Grey and I were making eyelash wishes and he and Misa shared a secret.

"I wished every time the same, this that he would come back," said Grey.

"I prayed every night that he would come home," added Misa.

Well, it seems someone was listening. Last week, Grey was sick. My husband had to take him to my mother-in-law's. As he was driving up Colvin Avenue, Vito saw a woman walking a dog that looked just like Chewy. He slowed down and when the woman saw him, she turned around and began to run.

The woman ran to her home and slammed the door. My husband and son followed. My husband stood on the sidewalk about to call police when she opened the door and yelled, my boyfriend gave me the dog as a gift last summer.

My husband yelled, 'You stole our dog,' and screamed 'Chewy!' And just like in the movies, Chewy came running from the home into my husband's arms.

The woman didn't resist, or deny anything. It was an amazing day for our family. "I was so excited, I dropped all my school bags and I ran and hugged him."

Call it fate or coincidence, but six months after disappearing Chewy is back - reunited with his best friend Polly from next door and his quirky family. And my kids have learned an important lesson in life to "never give up."

We have called police and detectives are now investigating.

If this ever happens to you, Gina from the SPCA says call police, but she also recommends being proactive. Here are some suggestions:

have your dog micro-chipped, in case it's sold, a vet can then I.D. it.

be wary of people who take an unusual interest in your dog.

vary your dog routines, walk different routes and vary the times.
don't leave your dog alone in the car.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7774320

What a happy ending:D

oh, what a great story and such a happy ending!

What a sweet story with such a happy ending. :) :) I am wondering what the punishment is for stealing a dog. Does anyone know? Whatever it is, I am sure it is not harsh enough. :mad:

Good news is always fun to share. :) If you watched the video clip
in the TV report, you can see how much the children love this pup and
how much Chewy loves them too. I'm so glad he is home again.