AWL Coombabah broken into by heartless thieves

Police are investigating after callous thieves broke their way into an AWL shelter on the Gold Coast, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage and making off with a Husky named Blaze.

Police are investigating after callous thieves broke into the Animal Welfare League shelter in Coombabah on the Gold Coast, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage and making off with a nine-year-old Siberian Husky named Blaze.

Volunteers were distressed to discover the damage when they arrived at the shelter on Sunday morning.

They were even more upset when they found that Blaze – who has an inseparable bond with a seven-year-old Border Collie called Maggie – had been taken in the raid.

Maggie and Blaze at the AWLQ shelter in Coombabah.

AWLQ spokesperson Caroline Esera said Blaze was found by a member of the public later on Sunday morning wandering alone 3km away at Harbour Town.

She said the husky was visibly tired and dehydrated when recovered, but had since been checked by vets and reunited with Maggie at the shelter, where they remain patiently waiting for their ‘forever’ home.

However the incident had left staff at the shelter deeply shaken.

“This incident has been highly stressful for our staff and even more so for Blaze and Maggie,” Ms Esera said.

“We cannot separate the dogs as they are tightly bonded, so it would have been a highly traumatic experience for both of them.

“As a charity working tirelessly to help animals in need, this kind of situation is very upsetting for us and the animals in our care. We are shocked that someone would do something like this and put our animals’ safety at risk. We are just thankful Blaze and the other dogs were unharmed.”

Siberian Husky Blaze at the AWLQ shelter in Coombabah.

In addition to taking Blaze the offenders who broke into the shelter unsuccessfully attempted to access puppy pens.

Bolt cutters were used to cut through several padlocks and five kennel fences, leaving the charity to deal with damage costing thousands of dollars.

While no other animals left the AWLQ compound, several dogs were outside their pens and found wandering areas of the shelter they were not meant to be in.

Police said the offenders had gained entry to the shelter by damaging a boundary fence.

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson urged that anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area or may have relevant dashcam footage contact police.

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