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Officers Gift Teen A Puppy After He Witnesses His Dog’s Tragic Death

By: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| July 5, 2022

16-year-old Eli Filiatreau recently went through the most horrific moment of his life. He watched someone kill his 6-month-old German Shepherd named Titan right in front of him. It was a sudden death, and the suspect reportedly did it on purpose and has since been arrested.

After seeing the heartbreak Eli experienced, Nelson County officers in Kentucky wanted to help. So, they worked together to get a new puppy for the teen. Of course, the new dog will never replace Titan, but hopefully, he can help fill the hole in Eli’s heart.

Teen hugging new puppy
Image: @NelsonCountySheriffsDept/Facebook

An Unbearable Tragedy

Losing a dog is hard enough as is, but watching your puppy get killed is even harder to comprehend. Eli was outside with Titan when the unthinkable happened. A car stopped near the end of the family’s driveway, but then it intentionally sped up to hit the innocent dog. Sadly, Titan didn’t survive.

It’s unclear what the suspect’s motivation was during this unforgivable act, but officers quickly took the individual into custody. The suspect was charged with cruelty to animals.

Teen's German Shepherd killed
Image: Screenshot, wdrb.com

Eli and his family were heartbroken. It’s good that the person responsible was caught, but that didn’t bring Titan back. Nothing could bring the beloved puppy back. Yet, officers couldn’t bear to see the boy’s pain, so they worked together to help cheer him up.

There’s Good in the World

The officers pooled money together to buy a new German Shepherd puppy for Eli. This tiny pup is only 6-weeks-old, and he has the cutest floppy ears and big paws. He won’t take Titan’s place, but he’s already bringing more love to the family.

German Shepherd puppy
Image: @NelsonCountySheriffsDept/Facebook

“Well, his name is Deputy, and we came up with it, me and my mom and dad, because we got [him] from the police,” Eli said. “It’s just amazing. I’m just at a loss of words as to how nice these people were.”

While the officers don’t want any recognition, they definitely deserve lots of it. Eli’s family has extended plenty of gratitude to them, and Facebook followers have thanked them as well. Some of the officers have also promised to check up on Eli and Deputy from time to time.

Teen and German Shepherd puppy
Image: @NelsonCountySheriffsDept/Facebook

Eli and his family will always miss Titan, but it’s nice that they’re able to share their love with Deputy now. Sadly, there are a lot of cruel people in this world, like the one who killed Titan, but these officers remind us that there are still plenty of kind souls out there too.

H/T: wdrb.com
Featured Image: @NelsonCountySheriffsDept/Facebook and Screenshot, wdrb.com

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