A thief who stole Christmas presents in Fontana was nearly responsible for the death of Sparky – the kind and cute dog who was hit by a car and lost for two days after the thief failed to close the gate behind him.
Now, due to the severity of his injury, Sparky must have his leg amputated.
Fortunately, the 2½-year-old Australian blue heeler, or cattle dog, the same breed as Bluey from the famous TV show, hasn’t lost its luster.
“He is in good spirits as he is at home,” said his owner, David Lopez. “He limps with a cast on his leg.”
Sparky and Lopez’s second dog, a golden retriever named Blazer, both went missing on Dec. 3 shortly after a porch burglar was caught on Ring camera leaving the yard with the gate open.
But even though Blazer returned home that night, his best friend, Sparky, was nowhere to be found.
“My golden retriever was very depressed at the time,” Lopez said. “He was just like sitting outside, not barking at anyone or playing fetch.”
Lopez’s family searched for Sparky for almost two days but to no avail. That was until a gut feeling drew Lopez to a neighbor’s house that he had already checked out. He knocked again and although the neighbor said he did not see Sparky, he agreed to let Lopez look in his yard.
As he was walking away shouting Sparky’s name, Lopez heard a commotion behind him.
“I took a breath, and when I looked back, I saw him coming out of the forest,” he said. “It was just a time to rest.”
Although Lopez was thrilled to find Sparky alive, she was horrified by her puppy’s condition. Sparky had a deep, bad gash from his waist down to his paw and was unable to limp to Lopez.
“When I saw that, I put my hands on my head because of fear,” he said. “I picked him up, hugged him in my arms, and took him to the animal hospital.”
Veterinarians believe Sparky was hit by a car and dragged onto the tarmac, tearing ligaments and leaving him with a deep bone bruise – and his family with huge medical bills.
Although he received many stitches that night, the vets decided that his leg would need to be amputated. Lopez’s girlfriend, Krystal Altamirano, started a GoFundMe to help pay for the surgery, which is scheduled for Friday.
“Losing our Christmas presents was already painful … but nothing compares to seeing our dog suffer like this and not having the money to save him,” she wrote as she raised the money. “The timing, the holidays, everything coming at the same time – it’s amazing.”
Lopez has filed a police report about the package thief but has not heard further in the investigation and is asking the public to report any sightings of the vehicle involved in the crime: a white SUV, which can be seen on Ring camera footage.
He hopes that the thief will deal with the damage that came to Sparky.
“The packages can be changed, but my dog will now lose part of it,” Lopez said. “I really didn’t want to see that happen, but it’s the only way to keep my dog alive now.”
