BUTTE — When Cassandra Rasmussen’s dog Zeus was stolen from her Butte home back in October, she said her family lost more than just a pet.
“I was devastated. He’s not officially an emotional support animal, but he’s been there so long for me that...he’s just been there for me,” said Rasmussen.
After weeks of not knowing where the dog was, the family got some amazing news. An animal shelter in Charleston, West Virginia, had taken possession of Zeus after the person who took him was arrested.
Chelsea Staley with the Kanawha Charleston Humane Association told WOWK TV: “It seems Cassandra who is a single mom in Butte, Montana allowed a family friend to come stay with her for a bit. The ‘friend’ basically robbed her blind stole her wallet, a number of things while she was at work including her dog Zeus. The friend was apprehended in Nitro, and when he was arrested Zeus was still with him."
When the KCHA checked Zeus for a micro-chip they linked him back to Cassandra, and last Wednesday they were able to see each other via video chat
Zeus’ family is overjoyed: “Over the moon, I’m just super excited, my kids are extremely excited. ‘Mommy, when is he coming? Tomorrow?’ No, next week,” said Rasmussen.
Because Zeus is one of more than a dozen breeds that are generally prohibited from flying on commercial planes (details here and here and here), the shelter worked out a way to have the dog driven cross-country with the help of dozens of drivers who plan to bring Zeus back to Butte and reunite him with his family.
“Thank you so much, my girls and I appreciate everything, I can’t even...I’m just overwhelmed almost. It’s just amazing the kindness of people,” said Rasmussen.
Zeus is expected to be reunited with his family by December 16th.
