February 19,2000
Dogs on the loose
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
The Humane Society still is missing two dogs after a Thursday night break-in, during which all the dogs were released from the animal shelter.
According to Tiffin police reports, a caller reported that all the dogs may be loose at the shelter at 8:42 p.m.
Police discovered all the dogs were loose inside the fence and some were outside. Three holes had been cut in the fence.
The dogs were released from one part of the facility into the yard, said Barb Phlegar, executive director of the Humane Society. There were about 30 dogs in the shelter, she said.
Det. Michael Marquis said the words "PETA," "SPCA," and "Greenpeace" were spray-painted on the building.
Whoever broke into the facility did not make it into the office, but simply freed all the dogs, he said.
"We haven't discovered anything missing," Phlegar said. It appears that the motive was simply to break in and let the dogs loose, she said.
"This was senseless," Marquis said. "This was just a malicious act against the Humane Society."
The released dogs had to battle the winter elements, as well as traffic and other dangers, he said.
"If they really cared about the dogs, in my mind, they would have just stolen them," Marquis said. "They endangered the dogs more than just leaving them in there."
The county dog warden, Humane Society officials, Tiffin police and officers from the Adult Parole Authority all helped re-capture the dogs.
"We were out chasing the dogs for an hour or two," Marquis said.
Two remain missing, Phlegar said. One is a puppy, a 10- to 12-week-old black and brown male beagle and boxer mix. The other is an adult black and white Jack Russell Terrier.
There is a reward of $1,000 offered for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person or persons involved in the crime, Phlegar said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tiffin Police Department at 447-2323.
"We'll be following up on any leads we get," Marquis said.