LUMBERTON, N.C. (WNCN) – A Franklin County woman whose dog was shot and killed during a home break-in last month received a new puppy for free from a South Carolina breeder on Saturday afternoon.
Jonsie Duke cried as she held her new puppy – more than a month after her cherished 3-year-old German Shepard Marley was killed during the burglary.
“Oh my God.. hey baby!” Duke said as tears streamed down her face and she lunged forward to pick up her new puppy who was in the bed of a pickup truck.
The little dog named Ziggy immediately began licking Duke’s face.
“It’s great. It’s really nice to hold him and see him and to have him,” Duke said. “He’s making me feel a lot better already!”
The tragic break-in, burglary and shooting took place at Duke’s home near Louisburg on Friday, Nov. 13.
Duke got off from work as a registered veterinary technician that afternoon and went home – only to find the grisly discovery.
“I saw that my TV was missing and my living room had been ransacked,” Duke said.
As Duke kept walking she said she noticed more things missing, another TV, an XBox, and Marley.
“I saw there was blood all over the shower curtain, and it was shut,” Duke said. “When I opened the shower curtain he was dead in the bathtub.”
Duke said Marley had been shot in the chest.
“They robbed me,” she said. “They could’ve just left him in my bedroom and took everything. They didn’t have to kill him.”
Duke’s story went viral with the hashtag #JusticeforMarley.
A South Carolina dog breeder, Carolin Hogue, saw the WNCN story about Marley and decided to help.
Hogue, from Columbia, says one of her dogs had just had a litter of 10 puppies before coming across the story.
Once she read about what happened…she said she had to give one away. Hogue said that after seeing Duke’s reaction Saturday, it made it all worth it.
“I feel blessed too being able to do this.. yeah.. definitely blessed,” Hogue said
On Saturday, Duke and Hogue met in Lumberton where a Duke was given the puppy German Shepard by Hodge.
“I am extremely grateful.. I am grateful to WNCN for helping me and Carolin getting hooked up and grateful for (Hogue) for driving all the way here and being willing to give me one of their babies,” Duke said.
Marley is now buried in the backyard along with his favorite blanket and toys. Phil, one of Duke’s cats, was missing for a while, but was later found and is now limping and shaken up, Duke said.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case.
