A desperate search for 10 stolen puppies

Ten five-week-old puppies vanished from a fenced yard in Quebeck Tuesday morning. Their mother was left behind, scratched and injured, and their owner is now pleading for help getting them home.

Sandra Moore-Doby said her litter of 10 Borzoi puppies was taken from her property Oct. 20 while she was home. Now, with Craigslist advertisements surfacing that appear to show some of the missing puppies, she's worried they may already be in the hands of people who have no idea they were stolen.

And she's willing to pay to get them back.

Moore-Doby said she had briefly stepped inside her home while the puppies were outside with their mother in a fenced area behind the house. When she returned, every puppy was gone.

The mother was still there, but she had scratches and other injuries.

The property is secluded, and the fenced yard isn't visible from the road. Moore-Doby was home when the puppies disappeared, leaving questions about how someone knew they were there and was able to take all 10 in such a short time.

A report was filed with the White County Sheriff's Office.

The puppies are just five weeks old and haven't been weaned from their mother. At that age, they still need her and require careful attention, making their disappearance particularly concerning.

Borzoi, also known as Russian wolfhounds, are an uncommon, large breed of dog. Moore-Doby has spent years raising and caring for the breed, but right now her concern isn't about their value. It's about getting 10 puppies back to their mother before something happens to them.

Her concern grew when Craigslist advertisements appeared in the Cookeville area shortly after the puppies disappeared.

One listing, titled "Noodle dog? (Sparta)," included photographs of young puppies with markings resembling those of the missing litter. Rather than identifying them as purebred Borzoi, the advertisement described them as possibly being Borzoi, Saluki, rough collie, or Afghan hound puppies.

The listing also acknowledged that the puppies were very young and struggling to eat kibble, a detail consistent with Moore-Doby's concerns about their age.

Those helping Moore-Doby search believe the photographs show puppies from her missing litter, although the connection has not been independently confirmed. It's also unclear how many puppies may have been sold, whether any are still together, or where they could be now.

Moore-Doby is hoping someone who responded to the advertisements, spoke with the seller, or recently brought home a puppy matching one of the photographs will recognize what happened and contact her.

"Someone stole 10 of my dogs 5 week old puppies from my fenced yard behind my house," Moore-Doby wrote in an appeal shared online.

She said she believes the puppies were offered through Craigslist shortly after they disappeared.

"I am putting this out there if you bought a 5 week old puppy off Craigslist in the last 24 hours and it looks like one of these please contact me I will buy it back," she wrote. "They aren't old enough to be away from their mom."

Moore-Doby doesn't want someone who unknowingly purchased one of the puppies to be afraid to come forward. Her priority is their safe return, not placing blame on someone who may have had no idea where the puppies came from.

The search is extending beyond White County. With advertisements appearing in the Cookeville area, the puppies could now be anywhere in the Upper Cumberland or farther away.

Anyone who recently purchased a very young puppy resembling a Borzoi, saw the Craigslist advertisements, communicated with the seller, or knows someone who suddenly acquired several puppies is being asked to come forward.

Residents in the Quebeck area who have security-camera, doorbell-camera, or dashcam footage from the morning of Oct. 20 may also have information that could help investigators.

The puppies have distinctive markings, and Moore-Doby hopes photographs of each one will help someone recognize them.

"Please please return my puppies do the right thing," Moore-Doby wrote.

Anyone with information can contact the White County Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700 or reach Moore-Doby directly at avalonborzoi@benlomand.net.

Those with potential leads are encouraged to share the information privately rather than posting identifying details or accusations publicly.