Nearly-Mailed Puppy Will Be Put Up For Adoption

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- There has been no shortage of people wanting to adopt a puppy that was almost mailed to Atlanta. Those people will get their chance this Friday.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Steve Murphy Reports

A city of Minneapolis news release said a drawing will be held around 2 p.m. Friday at the Minneapolis Animal Care and Control shelter. About 10 names will be chosen and numbered off. Those selected will undergo screening, and the first name drawn and determined eligible can take the puppy home following a routine adoption procedure.

"We've had numerous, numerous, numerous calls from throughout the country, in fact," said Dan Niziolek of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.

Niziolek said potential owners will need to be at the city shelter for the drawing.

"Pretty much first come, first served. And if there's more than one person here at the time that the animal is available, we then do a drawing out of a hat," he said.

The puppy, a poodle-schnauzer-mix named "Guess," was discovered by Minneapolis postal workers in a package last month.

The dog's owner Stacy Champion took the puppy to the Loring Post Office in a box with a priority sticker on it.

Postal workers didn't know right away about the puppy inside, until the box fell off the counter.

Champion claimed she was trying to send "Guess" to her son. She missed Monday's deadline to post bond to cover the costs of keeping the dog at the shelter.

Authorities say the puppy likely would have died if shipped.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)