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“I was here by myself taking care of the dogs,” Murray said. “So when she walked in, I was so excited to have help. I didn’t even think to have her fill out the paperwork.”
The volunteer jumped right in and was there for nearly 10 hours, Murray said, seemed to be a great worker, including cleaning out cages.
During that time, a man fell in the parking lot. That’s when Murray, her husband and another volunteer ran out to help the man.
“Which gave her a few minutes alone,” Murray said.
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That’s when she believes the woman allegedly stashed a full-blooded German shepherd puppy named Lendy in a cage and took the cage outside. The puppy is worth about $1,000 to $1,500.
Murray and others didn’t notice the missing dog until the next day. She contacted the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and posted about it on Facebook. She was worried about his health because Lendy was still nursing and too young to be away from his mother.
“I put the post out there and the community, they were all over it,” Murray said. “It was just amazing the information people were able to obtain and send to me.”
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Several social media tips lead to the puppy being found Saturday in Circleville, south of Columbus.
“He was in a cardboard box,” Murray said. “They slid him inside of a door of a GameStop.”
A store employee found Lendy and took him to her mother, who operates a Mastiff rescue. They took care of him until they learned he was stolen. He was returned Sunday when Murray met the good Samaritans in Xenia.
The puppy is in good health and back with his mother and litter mates.
“I can tell he lost a little bit of weight but he’s eating like a pig and he’s just fine,” Murray said.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the abduction. They have a suspect identified but no charges have been filed at this time.
Lendy’s abduction has made her more aware, Murray said, and she will now make sure all volunteers fill out the appropriate paperwork with a photo identification.
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