SAN ANTONIO – Updated Thursday:
The puppy was returned to SNIPSA. When SNIPSA officials arrived Thursday, they found Elf in a kennel on the front porch of the facility.
Anyone interested in adopting Elf can file an application by clicking here.
Previously:
The theft of a puppy during an adoption event at the Shops at La Cantera has a local shelter worried about his well being.
Dr. Shannon Espy, executive director for Spay-Neuter-Inject-Protect of San Antonio, said the puppy, Elf, was stolen during a holiday adoption event called “Puppies in the Window” outside Neiman Marcus on Dec. 21.
Espy said it was the first outing for Elf, a chihuahua terrier mix who was eight weeks old.
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Elf and the rest of his litter have been with SNIPSA since they were days old, Espy said. The puppies and their mom were being cared for by Animal Care Services and then by a foster before the outing.
It was a busy event, Espy said, and one family was seen holding Elf and waiting in line among other adopters.
“It was a very busy event with people anxiously awaiting for us to get set up and eager to meet the rescues,” she said. “Once the crowd thinned just a little, we realized the puppy was missing.”
“Employees and volunteers frantically looked for Elf to no avail.”
She said SNIPSA was “well-staffed” with four employees and 12 volunteers, and only once prior has a puppy been stolen.
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That puppy was also taken during the Christmas season, she said.
SNIPSA is not offering a reward for the return of Elf, but will ask no questions if he is returned, Espy said.
“We simply want to know the puppy is safe,” she said, adding that they are “hoping for any information that might lead to his safe return.”