Accused of dognapping, town’s mayor resigns

Published 10:13 pm Saturday, February 2, 2008

ALICE, Texas — A small-town mayor accused of secretly keeping her neighbors’ dog after telling them the pet died has resigned, and a judge is set to decide custody of the Shih Tzu.

Grace Saenz-Lopez apologized Friday to Alice residents and said she believed her actions were in the dog’s best interest.

A custody hearing Monday is expected to decide who gets Puddles, who Saenz-Lopez renamed “Panchito” after taking the dog last summer.

A neighboring family accuses Saenz-Lopez of refusing to return the dog after leaving it in her care while they went on vacation. A day after her neighbors left, Saenz-Lopez called to tell them Puddles had died.

Three months later, a relative of the neighbors saw the pet at a dog groomer. Saenz-Lopez refused to return the dog.