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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Grownup steals, disguises 5-year-old’s puppy

Item: 5-year-old's stolen puppy shaved but safe/AP, The Spokesman-Review

More info: A 5-year-old girl was at a park in Chubbuck, Idaho with her 11-week-old Pomeranian puppy when a woman asked if she could hold the puppy - but once she got it, she fled. Little Sadie Austin had only had the puppy, Tippy, for two weeks. When police recovered the puppy from the woman's home two days later, she'd been shaved and disguised with a false spot drawn in magic marker on her nose. Now the child has her puppy back; police say the suspect could face misdemeanor theft charges. Sadie's family paid $800 each for the Pomeranian puppy and its brother two weeks earlier.

Question: What's the right penalty for this adult female, if she's convicted?



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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