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Pup stolen from Vernon temporary shelter reunited with owner

Nicola Sanders says her son’s puppy was ‘overjoyed’ to see her owner again
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Nala, a five-month-old black lab-Pyrenees cross, was stolen from Vernon’s temporary homeless shelter at the curling club sometime Aug. 3, 2020, and returned to her owner Friday, Aug. 7. (Nicola Sanders photo)

Nala is back where she belongs.

The five-month-old puppy that was stolen in Vernon early this week was reunited with her owners Friday afternoon.

“It’s a big relief,” said Nicola Sanders, whose son’s black lab-Pyrenees cross was taken in the middle of the night from the temporary shelter at the Vernon Curling Club Monday, Aug. 3.

“They just walked right out of the curling club with her,” Sanders said of the shelter that will be relocated at the end of September.

Sanders contacted every outlet she could think of to help find the pup, from the SPCA and veterinary clinics to media outlets and social media forums.

Finally, on Friday Sanders said her son’s girlfriend was able to help local animal control track Nala down, after which she was soon reunited with her owner.

“(Nala) was certainly relieved to see my son,” Sanders said. “She was overjoyed. She wouldn’t stop squealing!”

It was a suspenseful number of days, and Sanders says she doesn’t what happened with the pup between Monday and Friday. But now, that anxiety has been replaced by relief.

“Your head always goes through the scenarios that could be happening when you don’t know where they are, especially when they’re so small.”

READ MORE: COVID-19: Homeless to be relocated from temporary Vernon shelter

READ MORE: Vandals target Grindrod camper


@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com

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