Pug Puppy Stolen From Girl With Leukemia Recovered From Hollywood Home

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A girl undergoing experimental treatment for her leukemia will get the pug puppy she wanted for Christmas, thanks to the persistence of a Riverside woman.

The pug puppy, which was purchased by Riverside resident Shawna Hamon for a 7-year-old Sacramento girl with leukemia, was recovered Tuesday from a home in Hollywood, where an acquaintance had hidden the dog, Riverside police Officer Anthony Watkins said.

Hamon, a member of a pug networking group, had purchased the puppy for the girl after becoming aware of the girl's grave illness and her Christmas wish, Watkins said. The pug was to be delivered to the child in Sacramento by Hamon's acquaintance.

The pug never arrived in Sacramento and Hamon told police she was unable to get it back, even after sending an animal delivery service company and an attorney to the acquaintance's home.

Riverside police served a search warrant in Atwater Village Tuesday, along with several other Los Angeles locations. Police say they found the acquaintance learned of the search for the pug and hid the dog at a neighbor's house before officers arrived.

The dog was recovered from the neighbor's house and returned to Hamon in Riverside, Watkins said. Per airline policies, the pug will be checked by a veterinarian, before Hamon personally delivers the puppy to Pennsylvania, where the girl is undergoing experimental treatment.

The Los Angeles woman, who was not identified, faces potential theft charges, Watkins said.