All three dogs missing from the St. Paws Dog Daycare, Boarding & Grooming in St. Paul, Minnesota, had been found. The kennel was reported burglarized on the morning of July 14, 2022.
One of the dogs was located later in the afternoon of that day, but a White German Shepherd was found a day later and a Miniature Pinscher two days after the incident.
The police are still investigating the break-in by reviewing surveillance cameras, but no arrests have been made with no known suspects.
Burglary Reported
The break-in was first reported by Jen Cadwell-Parker, who works nearby the dog daycare, in the early morning of July 14. She saw a number of dogs roaming around the alley and found the back doors of St. Paws open.
Cadwell-Parker then proceeded to enter the daycare, where she found the contact numbers of the staff.
Mariah Ranegan, assistant manager of the daycare, said it was a nightmare when she got the phone call. “Everyone has been just kind of teary-eyed, very heavy-hearted, and they’re distraught that we had lost the animals that we take care of every single day,” she said.
There were 14 dogs boarding at the dog daycare at the time. When police arrived at the scene, eight dogs were kenneled, three were roaming around the property, and three were missing.
Police initially did not know if the dogs were stolen or were accidentally let out during the break-in, but the staff suspects that the kennel doors were deliberately opened.
“There’s no way a Chihuahua can open the kennel, jump down from this height and just run out the door. It doesn’t happen that way,” Ranegan speculated.
The staff immediately searched for the missing dogs yelling their names and walking several miles through alleyways, backyards, and the nearby railroad tracks. The dog owners were also notified of the situation.
Ranegan, a pet owner herself, said she dreaded the thought of telling the owners that their pet was missing, especially “being out of town and feeling helpless.”
Dogs Located
One of the dogs was found later in the afternoon of that day by St. Paul Animal Control. The second, a White German Shepherd named Gunny, was located and corralled by concerned citizens near a park in Minneapolis a day later and contacted the owner through the information on its collar.
For Cooper, it had to take another day of searching before the Miniature Pinscher was found.
Nicole Campbell and her family were on vacation when they learned Cooper had gone missing. They immediately went home and began searching frantically for their pet by putting up signs and handing out fliers.
“It was heartbreaking; it hurt. It’s almost like losing a child just with four legs instead of two,” Campbell said at the time.
Cooper was finally found on the morning of July 16 by railroad workers who found the dog wandering the railroad area.
Campbell said that Cooper seems to be doing all right, but they will have him checked for any health problems.
The police are asking the help of the community if they have any information regarding the incident.
