Finding Sherah: Five Years Later, Homewood Family Reunited with Stolen Dog

Just as easily as an 8-month-old puppy captured her family’s hearts, they were crushed when someone snatched the purebred German Shepherd from the Smiths’ yard.

Jennifer and Gerald Smith were devastated, but hopeful. Then living on the South Side of Chicago, they plastered the neighborhood with fliers bearing Sherah’s information. She was microchipped, and they hoped someone would bring back their furry family member. Days passed, then weeks and months. After six months, they gave up the search. A move to Homewood brought a fresh start and, a year later a new dog for the couple and their two children.

Five and a half years later, their phone rang: Sherah had been found and would be coming home—thanks to that tiny plastic chip inserted between her shoulder blades.

“He almost fell off the treadmill,” Jennifer Smith said of her husband’s reaction to the call. “I never thought I would hear that name again.

“We always feared that she was dead.”

Dognapped

If dogs could talk, Sherah could tell them exactly where she had been since she was taken Aug. 8, 2009. Some have wondered how the family knew she was stolen rather than having run away. The Smiths’ answer simply that it makes the most sense. Their fence was 6-feet tall, too large for such a small puppy to scale, and there were no signs of digging or other ways she could have wriggled her way out.

Dognappers also often seek out purebreds like Sherah to breed and sell the puppies. Kankakee Animal Control officers who found her believe she may have birthed two litters in the time she had been missing.

“This isn’t uncommon, that someone would steal a purebred dog and resell it,” said Chris Mailhiot, an officer at Kankakee Animal Control told The Daily Journal. “What, I guess, is unusual is that the new owner never took the dog to a vet. They would have checked that chip.”

Family Reunion

The years have not weakened the bond between pet and owners. The couple visited the shelter with children Gianna, 11, and Gerald Jr., 13. The call came just a day before the eldest son’s 13th birthday, a gift Jennifer says he’ll always cherish.

“It was almost like she remembered them,” Jennifer said. “She walked right up to my husband and the kids.”

Sherah has seamlessly eased back into their home life, even romping with newer dog Trucker. She is gentle with their youngest son Gavin, 3, who had not been born yet when she disappeared. She appears healthy albeit a little thin. She had contracted hookworm due to a lack of vaccinations and veterinary care.

She’s the same dog they adored, Smith said.

“She still has that great demeanor.”

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