Three youngsters whose mother was recently shot to death will now be getting their beloved pet back.
For weeks, Cheeks has been staying at the Luzerne County SPCA but Cheeks is no stray. He has owners; three children now living down south.
"Moving to Mississippi obviously put them a thousand miles away from their pet, from their beloved Cheeks," said Vince Sweeney of the Luzerne County SPCA.
Cheeks and the children lived on Lehigh Street in Wilkes-Barre until March of this year. That's when Kewaii Togers Buckner, the children's mother, was shot and killed.
Police said her husband was responsible and the children saw it happen.
"There's an awful lot of misery in this case, there really really is," Sweeney said.
The children desperately miss their pet and thanks to Joe Baran, they will be reunited.
When Baran heard the story, he donated more than $500 to pay for the dog's flight from Philadelphia to the children's new home.
"Vince mentioned that he needed a little bit of help getting the dog back to Mississippi to be reunited with the kids and I have two kids so I figured I could help out the shelter and help out the family by doing this," Baran.
The people at the SPCA said they will be sorry to see Cheeks go but they know this journey will mean a great deal to three children waiting a thousand miles away.
"The grandmother who is a really gracious lady and is beyond grateful for all the help in this case says this is all they have left of their mother and that's really what it is. That's all they have left of their mother," Sweeney added.
Cheeks' flight is scheduled for Friday morning.
For weeks, Cheeks has been staying at the Luzerne County SPCA but Cheeks is no stray. He has owners; three children now living down south.
"Moving to Mississippi obviously put them a thousand miles away from their pet, from their beloved Cheeks," said Vince Sweeney of the Luzerne County SPCA.
Cheeks and the children lived on Lehigh Street in Wilkes-Barre until March of this year. That's when Kewaii Togers Buckner, the children's mother, was shot and killed.
Police said her husband was responsible and the children saw it happen.
"There's an awful lot of misery in this case, there really really is," Sweeney said.
The children desperately miss their pet and thanks to Joe Baran, they will be reunited.
When Baran heard the story, he donated more than $500 to pay for the dog's flight from Philadelphia to the children's new home.
"Vince mentioned that he needed a little bit of help getting the dog back to Mississippi to be reunited with the kids and I have two kids so I figured I could help out the shelter and help out the family by doing this," Baran.
The people at the SPCA said they will be sorry to see Cheeks go but they know this journey will mean a great deal to three children waiting a thousand miles away.
"The grandmother who is a really gracious lady and is beyond grateful for all the help in this case says this is all they have left of their mother and that's really what it is. That's all they have left of their mother," Sweeney added.
Cheeks' flight is scheduled for Friday morning.
