Friday, July 14, 2017
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Latte has been found. The pit bull puppy that was reported stolen earlier this week from a Parkview Avenue home was found by someone Thursday on the North Side, said Jason Cooke, an animal-rights activist who was helping Latte’s owner, Ashley Perrine, get the dog.
Cooke said the dog was found on the North Side by a woman there, and she got in touch with Perrine. The person who found the dog is in line for a reward put up for her safe return, Cooke said.
Cooke said Latte appears to be in good health, but it was obvious she was outside for a few days.
“She’s a little bit stinky,” Cooke said.
Perrine said she put Latte and her other dog out at her home on Parkview Avenue about 12:15 p.m. Monday. She said her boyfriend went out to get the dogs a few moments later, but Latte was gone. She said she then went to a site on Facebook to ask for help in locating Latte. There, she said she saw a picture of Latte posted by a woman who was trying to sell the dog for $200.
Perrine said she tried to get in touch with the woman and exchanged messages with her until the woman told Perrine the dog was gone.
Cooke credited social media with helping Perrine get Latte back because of the number of people who read or shared posts of Latte missing.
“We are very thankful for everyone’s support,” Cooke said.
Latte is about 3 months old and was given to Perrine about two weeks ago by her landlord.
Cooke said the case shows the importance of keeping an eye on your dog when it is outside, and making sure that your dog has a license and is micochipped, so it would be easier to find if it ever got lost.
In fact, Perrine and Cooke were at the Mahoning County Dog Pound shortly after Latte was found to get a license for her.
Police were called and a report was made. A detective has been assigned to the case.