Violet, a brown-and-white terrier mix, disappeared from the San Francisco SPCA last month. On Friday she was found and safely returned to the SPCA.
Violet originally ended up at the shelter after she was found abandoned in a garbage can. On October 16th an attendant at the San Francisco SPCA left Violet alone momentarily in an observation room. When she returned the 10-week-old puppy was gone. “One of our animal care attendants was showing the puppy,” said SFSPCA spokeswoman Krista Maloney. “He left the room briefly to chat with a woman who was considering adopting Violet, and when he went back to the room, the puppy was gone. He just turned his back for one second.” The SFSPCA field a report with police and offered a $500 reward for her safe return.
On Friday, one of the adoption center employees saw Violet with a woman and immediately called police. Police arrested 19-year-old Sonya Espinoza on suspicion of drug possession. Police aren’t sure how Espinoza got the dog and are investigating the case.
A microchip scan confirmed that the dog was in fact Violet. “We are overjoyed that Violet is safe and happy. We are grateful to the public for their concern and vigilance, which helped us bring her home,” said SFSPCA co-president Jason Walthall.
Violet’s happy ending doesn’t end there though. A day before she was stolen a couple had been interested in adopting her. Bairam Jacobsohn and his girlfriend were immediately drawn to Violet’s sweet demeanor and were sad when she went missing. She is now at home with her new family who is calling her Roux. Jacobsohn says, “She sticks by us and doesn’t want to do anything but love us.”
