Shawne McKeown
City News
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Photo: Sarah Arian, 6, and her new puppy Max. CITYNEWS.
A senseless act of violence against a family pet prompted an act of kindness that has lifted the spirits of a six-year-old Brampton girl.
Sarah Arian’s two-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Mickey, was shot in the backyard of her home in Peel Village on April 29. The little girl was watching television with her family when they heard the shots around 9 p.m., ran outside and found blood in the grass and their pet suffering from a gunshot wound. Mickey was later put down.
Animal lover Kim Passero heard about the family’s loss and decided to give Sarah the last puppy in a litter of Yorkshire terrier crosses.
“I said I have to get this family this dog,” Passero said. “This dog is meant for them.”
Sarah gratefully accepted 10-week-old Max — who looks a lot like her late pet did as a pup.
“He makes me feel very happy,” Sarah said.
Passero said her act of kindness was inspired by a personal experience.
“When I lost a dog I was devastated, I was depressed for eight months,” she recalled. “And when I finally got the new one, it doesn’t replace the dog, but it replaced a hole in my heart.”
Peel Regional Police are still searching for the person who fatally shot Mickey and the Humane Society has issued a $1,000 reward for anyone with information on the case that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-453-2121 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
