Stolen puppy found and returned to the Havre Animal Shelter

Police are still investigating who stole a puppy from the Havre Animal Shelter, a puppy that was found just more than a day after it disappeared.

Havre Animal Control Officer Peter Federspiel said this morning that Alpha Dog, a 6-week-old male mixed-breed puppy, was found Tuesday, within 26 hours after he reported it stolen Monday.

A woman called Havre police Tuesday at 9:46 a.m. after finding the puppy outside of her home. She said she had heard Alpha crying.

Federspiel reported Alpha stolen to the Havre Police Department Monday at 8:12 a.m., after a break-in at the shelter.

Federspiel said this morning that Alpha was the only thing stolen but another dog was running around the shelter loose when he came in.

Federspiel said that whoever stole Alpha probably just wanted him as a pet and the other dog may have been loose because the burglar might have opened the kennel to pet the other dog and forgot to close it. He added that whoever broke in had cut the chain on the fence to the shelter. The chain has been replaced.

Federspiel said that Alpha was from a litter of puppies that have not yet been advertised because when they first came into the shelter they were 4 to 5 weeks old and had not been spayed or neutered. He has been waiting until the puppies got older and were spayed and neutered to advertise them, he added.

He said the litter of puppies that Alpha belongs to will also be having their debut Saturday, Sept. 29, at Friends of the Havre Animal Shelter’s first Woofstock fundraiser.

The investigation of who stole the puppy is still ongoing, Federspiel said, adding that this was the first time anything like this has ever happened during his career at the shelter.