Woman denied puppy she tried to airmail to son

A four-month old puppy, a mix of black poodle and schnauzer, in a photo courtesy of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. A Minneapolis woman tried to airmail the puppy to her son in a sealed cardboard box.

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A Minneapolis woman who tried to airmail a four-month old puppy to her son in a sealed cardboard box cannot regain custody of the dog, an administrative hearing officer ruled on Monday.

Stacey Champion, 39, faces two misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals for attempting to ship the puppy to Georgia in a sealed box without food, water or airholes on January 25 at a Minneapolis post office.

The puppy, a mix of black poodle and schnauzer, was only discovered after the box fell to the ground during processing and a worker heard panting and movement coming from inside, according to the complaint filed with the Hennepin County District Court.

Champion has five days to appeal Minneapolis hearing officer Fabian Hoffner's ruling. She must post a bond to cover the cost of the puppy's care at an animal shelter until her criminal case is resolved to appeal Hoffner's decision.

Minneapolis charges $15 per day to care for the animals, a cost likely to run through March to complete an arraignment, pre-trial and trial on the misdemeanor charges, said Dan Niziolek, manager of animal care and control for the city.

"A lot of attention has been put on this one pup, it clearly shows the interest," Niziolek said.

The puppy is being held at the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control shelter and would be available for adoption if Champion declines to appeal or fails to put up a bond for its care, spokesman Matt Laible said on Monday.

Numerous callers have sought to adopt the puppy but no formal process has been started since it is not the property of the city, Laible said.

The Minneapolis pet adoption policy includes a basic screening of owners and a drawing if more than one person is interested and present at the shelter when the animal is made available for adoption.

(Reporting by David Bailey, Editing by Greg McCune)