'Bring them home': 9 pit bull puppies stolen from Edmonton garage
Lisa Morrey had just fed nine five-week-old pit bull puppies one of their first dinners since being weaned off of their mom on Thursday evening.
She left them to eat in their pen in her heated garage in Edmonton, and an hour later she checked the video baby monitor set up to watch them.
They were gone.
"It's unbelievable you don't think something like this could happen," Morrey told CBC News Saturday. She said she hadn't even advertised the puppies being for sale yet, as they were to remain with their mom for eight weeks.
"Come in and steal my tools, steal my quads, or something. But not my dogs, they need their mom," she said.
"I don't care who did it, why they did it. I just want my family back."
'Hearts are going to be broken'
Brianna Main, Morrey's friend, had picked out one of the dogs. She posted on social media, hoping to spread the word of the missing dogs. Her posts have been shared more than 10,000 times.
Saturday evening, Main posted an update to Facebook — someone said they had access to the puppies and would return them if they were paid.
After Main and Morrey paid the person, they were supposed to meet up with the puppies. The person didn't show up.
"How can people continue to do such horrid things?" Main wrote.
Both Main and Morrey are still holding out hope the puppies will be returned.
"Just bring them back, drop them off at a gas station, or a fire station," Morrey said. "We don't care who you are, we just want them back. There are kids involved and their hearts are going to be broken."
Edmonton police told Morrey the thieves likely used a crowbar to disconnect the garage door from its track and opened it manually.
'Do the right thing'
Main said she's yet to break the news they had been stolen to her children.
"We've been bringing our children here since they were a week old," Main said. "My son has all nine of the puppies named. And we haven't told him yet what happened.
"I do not want to have to tell my children that their puppy is not coming to her forever home."
Main said the response has been mostly positive, with people from across the country and as far away as Africa sharing her Facebook posts.
"My goal with this is whoever it is that took them, sees that there are thousands of people who know what happened, and are keeping their eyes out," she said.
"There is no more that they can do with these puppies without someone finding out. Do the right thing. Bring them home for the families that are waiting for them."
