Fast acting personnel from the Pearl River County SPCA and Picayune Police Department thwarted a puppy abduction from the shelter, just days before Christmas.

On Dec. 20 at 1:34, an officer was dispatched to the Pearl River County SPCA at 2700 Palestine Rd., in reference to pet larceny, said Jeremy Magri, Assistant to the Chief.

“Upon arrival the officer spoke with eyewitnesses from the location who stated a male and female, later identified as 26-year-old Timothy Qualls and 23-year-old Destiny Boudreaux, both of 27 Dogwood Dr. in Carriere, came into the shelter looking for a puppy,” Magri said. “The complainant stated that once the couple learned all animals were sterilized, they stated that they no longer wanted a puppy. The complainant said that at that time, while inside the SPCA, they grabbed a chocolate/white, retriever/lab puppy which was six weeks old and ran outside the business, got into their vehicle and left.”

The complainant was able to provide the officer with both suspect and vehicle descriptions, which enabled officers to locate both suspects and puppy at a local automotive repair shop where the puppy was recovered and safely returned to the SPCA, Magri said.

“Upon positive identification by witnesses at the SPCA, the couple were taken into custody and transported to the Criminal Justice Center where they were booked for pet larceny,” Magri said.

Director of Community Outreach and front desk volunteer for the Pearl River County SPCA Rhonda Furby was the person on duty when the couple entered the shelter that day.

“The couple walked in and the man was very rude while asking about adopting a puppy,” Furby said. “I told them they were not spayed or neutered yet and he said he didn’t want them fixed because he wanted them to breed. I told him that was not our policy and he informed me he didn’t want them then.

“I watched them walk away and they went behind the tarps and looked at some more puppies. The woman then ran back inside and grabbed one of the chocolate labs from out of the dog run and ran to her vehicle and left.”

Furby said that an employee who was on break saw the woman do this and was able to provide a description of the vehicle.

“I was able to describe them to the police, whom we called immediately. When I gave a description and the officer laughed because they had just left the police station and he had spoken to them because the female had a court date – so he went to the  business, retrieved the stolen animal and returned it.”

Furby said she did go to the station and press charges and she is happy to report that the puppy, named Vixen, has since been adopted to his forever home.