DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida pet store has helped make the holiday season extra special for a girl, months after, police said, her precious Chihuahua was killed by a man with a pellet gun.
7News cameras captured 8-year-old Emaliyah Gassen at the Petland store in Davie as she looked at a couple of Chihuahua puppies, Saturday.
Finally, the girl made a connection with one of them.
“She looks exactly like the other one that I had,” she said.
The one she had was Princess, also a Chihuahua, who lost her life when she was shot with a pellet gun outside the owners’ Davie apartment complex, Sept. 29.
Davie Police arrested 19-year-old Johansen Concepcion de la Ros for allegedly firing that gun from a second-floor unit, striking the canine while she was being walked outside.
Luis Marquez, the owner of the Petland in Davie, was in touch with Gassen’s family after the shooting to see if there was anything they could do.
On Saturday, Gassen and her mother came in to find a new “fur-ever” friend.
Even though she’s overjoyed about her new pet, Gassen said she still misses Princess.
“I think about Princess a lot. I think about what happened,” she said, “but then, once I meet this girl…”
Gassen paused, then looked at her new pet more carefully.
“I mean, boy, I think it’s going to be all right,” she said. “I’ll still remember Princess, but she’ll see how good I’ve been treating this one.”
“It’s not about what it cost. It’s about the fact that, according to her mom and her family, she went through quite a tough time,” said Marquez, “and it’s the holidays, and what’s better than to be able to give back?”
The new puppy costs about $3,000. She will get the last name of one of the associates who helped out.
When asked how she felt to be taking home her new puppy, Gassen replied, “I feel so happy, like, this is the best day of my life!”
The staff at Petland said they had been waiting patiently to present this generous gift at just the right time.
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