Ex-Mayor In Dognap Scandal Loses the Dog
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A custody case that wrecked a small-town south Texas mayor's political career ended Thursday when she was ordered to return a Shih Tzu to her neighbors.
Grace Saenz-Lopez, the former mayor of Alice, had claimed Puddles died last year while she was pet-sitting for the neighbors. Three months later, however, a relative of the neighbors saw the dog, renamed Panchito, at a grooming business.
Saenz-Lopez insisted that Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavazos had neglected the animal, but District Judge Richard Terrell in McAllen ordered her to give the dog back to the couple.
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"She's broken-hearted, man," said Homero Canales, Saenz-Lopez's attorney, but he added that his client would comply with the order.
Canales added that the judge "admonished us for making a big deal out of a dog case." The lawyer's wife delivered the contested pooch Thursday afternoon.
"I think everybody is just delighted," said Dee Ann Torres, the owners' attorney.
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The case gained national attention, including on NBC's "Today" show, on which Saenz-Lopez said in February, "I didn't steal the dog. I did not return him to save his life."
Saenz-Lopez resigned as mayor that month once a recall petition began circulating. She had held the office since 2003.
Torres said Gutierrez and Cavazos cared for the dog as well as Saenz-Lopez did.
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"She is in no way a humanitarian in taking this pet away from its owners," Torres said. "They love that little dog."
Saenz-Lopez still faces two felony counts of tampering with evidence and concealing evidence. A preliminary hearing on those charges is scheduled for Tuesday.