Missing prize-winning mastiff found in Newark
by Sharon Adarlo/The Star-Ledger
Tuesday March 04, 2008, 7:55 PM
Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger
At Newark Liberty Airport, Sharon Costello, hugs Pounder, her prize-winning show dog found in Newark today.
Pounder, the prize-winning show dog abducted from a locked SUV in Secaucus, was found in Newark today, the animal's owner said.
"Praise god. Thank you Jesus," said Sharon Costello, one of Pounder's owners, after she learned that the 14-month-old English mastiff is on her way home.
Shelby Johnsen, who also owns Pounder, apparently got a tip that a Pennsylvania resident found the 170-pound dog in Newark, Costello said.
The path that led Pounder to be abandoned in Newark, and the identity of the thieves remains a mystery.
"I am ecstatic and happy," said Costello, of Stewartsville, Warren County, who asked churches in her area to pray for Pounder's return.
Pounder, or "Bellawoods Ain't No Doubt About It" as she is formally known, was stolen Saturday, minutes before she was to leave for the Monticello New York Kennel Club Inc.'s show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center.
Johnsen has said she had just finished taking Pounder for a walk at 7:15 a.m. and went inside the hotel for a few minutes. Pounder was resting on a sheepskin rug in her crate.
Upon returning, Johnsen did not notice anything amiss until she climbed into her car, turned around and saw the empty crate.
All that was left was a scrunched-up sheepskin rug deeply gouged with claw marks.
Pounder's owners launched a campaign to find her, handing out fliers and talking to police, shelters, veterinarians, animal-control officers and any dog lover they came across. They also offered a $2,000 reward for Pounder's return.
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