Pup’s happy reunion is deputy’s sad farewell

A Spokane County sheriff’s deputy who found a puppy early Monday and ended up taking it home has “reluctantly said goodbye to his new friend” after the dog’s owner came forward.

Deputy Marc Melville was tipped off to a lost-dog Craigslist ad after news reports Tuesday told the tale of the puppy’s adoption.

The deputy had taken the puppy home after receiving a call that someone was leaving puppies in the roadway at Thierman Road and Appleway Boulevard just after 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release.

The caller reported seeing a man dropping an adult dog and five or six puppies out of a vehicle then driving away, Melville said. However, he only found one puppy at the scene.

Melville took the puppy home to his family, and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release about the incident, complete with pictures of the pup.

Several online commenters noted the Craigslist ad.

Melville contacted the person who posted the ad, and she said she had been watching a family of dogs for a friend and two of the puppies had gone missing, the Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Kim Moore, the puppy’s owner, said she and her ex-husband own an adult dog that recently had two puppies. Her ex-husband let the dogs out early Monday morning, but they ran away. She said she wasn’t aware of anyone who may have stolen the dogs.

When Melville brought the puppy over, he ran to his mother, erasing any doubt that Melville had found the rightful owner.

“He was really happy to see his mommy,” Moore said about the puppy’s return.