WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Jan. 27, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — It’s a story that started with outrage from the public and concern from officials after a chihuahua named Alvin was “smuggled” from a West Valley City animal shelter earlier this month.
But Alvin’s location Thursday has also brought additional good news — it has led to a runaway girl from Arizona being tracked down by police.
The West Valley City Police Department said on Wednesday in a Facebook post it was searching for a woman who took Alvin from an area animal shelter, under a blanket, and left with him.
WVC Animal Services posted a photo of the missing dog, as well as images of the woman leaving the shelter with him on Jan. 13.
Animal Services posted on Friday morning: “YOU FOUND ALVIN! One of you out there spotted a girl and a white dog huddled outside in a blanket in WVC and called police to check it out. Officers discovered that the girl is a runaway out of Arizona and when they checked the dog’s microchip, sure enough, it’s Alvin!”
The organization went on to say that Alvin is in good shape and back at the shelter. And the story has an optimistic conclusion for the runaway girl, too.
“Police were also able to contact the girl’s parents who are coming to take her back home,” said a post from Animal Services, which was shared by WVCPD. “A safe and happy ending for Alvin and for one very worried Arizona family. Thank you to all of you and to the West Valley City Police Department for helping us find Alvin.”
The original post about Alvin going missing said: “We love to see our pups walk out the door with their forever families, but seeing them stolen, stuffed under a blanket and smuggled out isn’t a good situation for anyone.
“Our security cameras captured the young woman in these pictures doing just that. We take care to make sure that our animals are adopted by people who can and will properly care for them, so we have real concerns about Alvin the chihuahua being in the possession of someone who stole him instead of properly adopting him.”
The post added that Animal Services hasn’t had a problem in the past with people stealing animals, and cages are not locked so staff can have easy access to them. They are now, however, exploring some options for quick open locks.
Anyone who would like more information about the West Valley shelter can click here, call 801-965-5800 or stop by at 4522 W. 3500 South.
