GANDER, NL – Marsha, a one-year-old female pit-bull is safely back at the SPCA after being stolen April 5 in a break-in at the shelter.
Bonnie Harris, manager of the SPCA, told The Beacon someone broke into the shelter after hours.
“The premise is secured, but unfortunately, a fault in the system did not trigger the alarm when the break-in took place,” said Harris.
As soon as Marsha was reported stolen, Harris got in touch with the police, who posted to Facebook at 10:30 a.m. looking for help finding the stolen animal. About 30 minutes later, the post was updated, indicating Marsha had been found.
The SPCA said the RCMP found Marsha safe and sound.
Nikki Brinson works in the Gander and Area SPCA and one of her responsibilities is to feed the dogs in the morning.
There was something different April 6. One of the other dogs, Abby, was unusually quiet during mealtime. Brinson noticed her shivering and huddled in the corner of her kennel.
The odd behaviour tipped Brinson off and she took a closer look at the surroundings. It was then she noticed the double-paned glass of the back door was broken and the floor littered with broken glass.
Brinson then noticed Marsha was missing from her kennel.
Marsha was only put up for adoption on Monday, April 2 and there were many applications to adopt her, according to Brinson.
“A good home was already picked for her,” said Brinson after applications were carefully vetted.
“We have an idea who did it, but we can’t elaborate on the details – it is innocent until proven guilty, you know.”
This is not the first time someone broke into the SPCA to steal an animal. Harris said a couple of similar incidents have taken place in the 20 years she has worked there.
