ST. LOUIS — Purina and the community came together to help a pet shelter that had its dog and cat food stolen.
Thieves stole $1,200 worth of dog and cat food from Gateway Pet Guardians Thursday afternoon.
A press release from the animal shelter said three people in two vehicles arrived just after the shelter on Manchester Road received a shipment of pet food. They started loading up more than 30 bags of food into the cars before an employee confronted them.
After being spotted by the employee, they jumped into their cars and sped away. As they were fleeing, they almost hit a woman holding a dog in the parking lot.
The food was going to be distributed to foster families taking care of homeless dogs while the animals wait to find permanent homes.
On Friday, Purina announced it would replace the stolen food and donations from the community will go to the cost of veterinary care for adoptable pets.
“Purina has always been a tremendous supporter of our organization. They donate all of the food for our adoptable pets year-round and quickly reached out offering to replace the stolen food when they heard about what happened,” Jamie Case, Executive Director said.
Anyone with information on the thieves should contact the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at 314-231-1212 or Gateway Pet Guardians at 314-664-7398.
“In the end, good always wins. We were blown away by the support from the community. Purina has always been a great community partner and we are just so grateful for their support in this situation,” Jill Henke Program Director said.