Family’s stolen dog dies just a week after being found

14
42
Dog stolen from his family
Spread the love

A dog who was stolen from his family in Coweta County, Georgia, was found, but died just a week after being reunited with his family, reported CBS 46 News. Max, a purebred Yorkshire terrier, disappeared after he managed to slip out of his owner’s home.

Thanks to a witness, his owners, Michelle and Patrick Tunnell, learned that a woman had stopped to pick up little Max not far from their yard. Patrick Tunnell is a sheriff’s investigator and he put his skills to work to help locate the family’s missing pet.

Tunnell found a groomer in the area who put him in touch with a woman who had brought a dog matching Max’s description into the business for a grooming session. The Tunnells tracked down the woman who told them that she had bought Max from someone for just $60. The Tunnells also learned that the dog transaction took place an hour after Max slipped out of his home.

The woman who bought Max had specifically chosen a location with a security camera because she knew that she was buying the dog from a stranger and wanted proof of what had taken place in case there were problems down the line…her precautionary measure paid off and the local authorities were able to review surveillance footage to determine that Amber Chunn was behind the dog theft. Chunn is now facing a charge for theft

Though Max was recovered and a woman was charged, the family could not celebrate the recovery of their beloved pet for long. The stress of being stolen and rehomed was so great that little Max died (from stress related issues) just a week after coming home.

Now the Tunnells are advocating that all pet owners ensure that their companions are microchipped (Max wasn’t) to help prevent thwart pet-napping thefts. If Max would have had an embedded chip, the groomer may have picked up on the dog-napping crime right away.

(Images via screenshot CBS 46)


Update on 12-year-old dog who wound up at animal control, rejected by her family. Read more here.

tippy the dog new


Spread the love

14 COMMENTS

  1. RIP Max. I’m sorry the family couldn’t celebrate Max’s return home, but, instead are suffering the loss of their beloved pet.

  2. This is one of those stories you just have to ask WHY? After all the work and searching and finally finding Max, why did it have to turn out like this? I guess the only good thing that came out of this is the Tunnell’s know what happened to Max and have some kind of closure. I hope Amber Chunn rot’s in Hell, she brought all this on by being dishonest and deserves to be punished!

      • I’m not sure how old this dog was, but I do know that I have to sign a waiver to board my elderly dog because the boarding facility doesn’t want to be held responsible if my elderly dog becomes stressed and develops life threatening illness while there. So I guess they can, however, this dog obviously was sold to a woman who took good care of him, so how stressful this whole ordeal was for Max, I’m not really sure.

  3. I just wonder how often does anyone check for a micro chip on any dog? I have to ask at my vet to check the micro chip on my dogs, they just don’t do it automatically, unless I request it. Do groomers do check micro chips on dogs, I didn’t know they did that?

    • I have never had a groomer (and I’m not sure they have scanners anyway) or a vet for that matter check for a micro chip on my dogs unless I ask for it. I don’t think Max having a micro chip would have saved him from being stolen (she certainly wasn’t taking the dog anywhere to find out if he was chipped) or allowed him to be found any sooner. The only thing that it would have helped with was proving it was Max when he was found.

  4. What an evil money hungry cunt! Hope you get yours evil monstrosity to make $$ from stealing someone’s pet
    Absolutely heartbreaking to hear Max died a wk later after being reunited with his family:((((((

  5. Such a shame. I wish this sweet little dog had a better ending to his story. 🙁 RIP little man, your family will miss you forever.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here