Yorkton SPCA searching for stolen puppy after break-in

The Yorkton SPCA is searching for a stolen puppy after a break-in left dogs loose and the building damaged.

It is asking for the public’s help after a break-in left the building damaged, kennels forced open and a puppy named Koda stolen.

Manager Joan Gabriel said staff arrived early Wednesday to find “dogs running amok,” all the kennels open and a damaged fence where the alleged thief dragged the dog out.

“Some of the animals were missing, so the kennel cleaner went outside and (he) could see one of the dogs near the fence… and then he heard him yelp and saw him go through the fence.”

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At first, the staff thought the dog had slipped out on his own until they saw the damage. “The fence was cut, they had to drag the dog through the fence,” she said.

“All the locks on our doors were broken,” Gabriel said. “Everything is damaged.”

Koda, a black-and-tan shepherd mix, had been in the SPCA’s care before. The puppy arrived at the shelter in May, was adopted in August and returned in early November when the fit wasn’t right.

The exterior of the Yorkton Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals building on a sunny day, with the organization’s blue and white sign mounted near the roofline.

The Yorkton SPCA building is pictured in Yorkton. The shelter says a break-in left kennels damaged and a puppy stolen. (Yorkton SPCA Facebook)

Gabriel said there was nothing unusual about him that would explain why he was targeted.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “I cannot speculate on the why. I don’t know motive… there’s nothing surrounding this dog that would tell me anything.”

The break-in is not the first for the shelter, but Gabriel said it has been years since anyone attempted to steal a dog.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

Koda is neutered, microchipped and described as black and tan with floppy ears.

“He looks like a shepherd, but his ears don’t stand up,” Gabriel said. His photos are posted widely on social media, but Gabriel wants people to understand he was stolen, not adopted.

She said the organization relies entirely on donations to operate, and the damage from the break-in will add costs.

“We are a charity… (donations are) what we live on,” Gabriel said.

People wanting to help can donate through the SPCA’s website, through CanadaHelps.org or by e-transfer to yorktonspca@sasktel.net.

Anyone with information about Koda’s whereabouts or the break-in is asked to contact Yorkton RCMP. A reward is also being offered for the safe return of the pup.