Stolen service dog found

[Catherine]

Late last night or rather very early this morning a woman stopped at an all night McDonalds for a coffee. She tied her little service dog outside and when she came back out the dog was gone.

http://www.cp24.com/news/service-dog-sto...-1.3485974

I can tell you the police came quickly because I changed buses at that very corner last night just after she found her dog missing.
There is good news. The dog has been found and returned to her owner.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...zYPM9mL-Pg

They are not giving us a lot of detail about how the dog was returned, but at least she is home safe and all is well.

Everyone was aware that a service dog was stolen. It would be pretty hard to keep a dog like that. Someone would notice and report you.

[Tobi]

I am so glad this little dog was found.
But let it be a warning to everyone not to ever leave their dog tied up outside a shop or store for any reason. It's better to be hungry and still have your dog....or to go home and cook baked beans on toast or whatever you have in the cupboard!

I couldn't make out from the report exactly what had happened to the little dog....I presume nobody knew exactly what had happened.

[Catherine]

Literally, I got off the bus at the McDonalds a few minutes after the police arrived. I could see her talking to the police, but I walked home from there as it was getting late. I didn't stop to ask what had happened.
The dog was found south of the area the next day, but it was too far for the dog to have walked on its own. It was a direct bus ride however. Someone picked up the dog and took off with it. It is a really busy corner at all hours of the night. I have never been able to get a late night snack because there is always a lineup of 30 people.

It was busy enough that you would think the dog would be safe. However it was also so busy that it would be easy to take the dog. There were too many distractions for her to see the dog from inside the building. She would have been better to walk up to the Timmies where the dog would have been visible.

I am sure she felt the dog was safe and it should have been.

I wonder if someone thought the dog was abandoned because of the late night hour. They have no idea who took the dog and it was found quickly.

That must have been terrifying for both of them.

[Tobi]

Who is to say why the dog was taken. Yes I suppose it's possible someone thought it was abandoned....but surely if that were the case, they would have informed someone, and not just dumped the little thing a distance away?

A tiny dog like that is a sitting duck. If it had been a German Shepherd or a big dog the person would have thought twice about taking it!

I am really sorry that happened, and feel for both the dog and that poor woman who must have been worried sick. But iin a way I feel she created that situation. It is never safe to leave a dog anywhere, and especially when you have to wait iin a queue for anything. Sometimes I had to leave Misty for maybe 10-15 minutes while I dashed into a shop, but that was always in the parked car and NEVER tied up outside any place. And even then,even though she was locked inside the car, if I saw a long line up of people at the checkout, I would often abandon my shopping and just leave.

[Catherine]

A lot of people in Toronto leave their dogs tied up outside stores and restaurants. Dog thefts are rare, but I would still be  scared to do it. The dogs always look anxious and it would be so easy for someone to take a dog.

You were smart  to be careful with Misty. It is not worth it to risk losing your dog.

I hope this incident makes dog owners more careful this summer. The next dog might not be so lucky.

[LeonilCraig]

Thank god that your was found ! This is warning to everyone that do not leave our dog in any place.

[Tobi]

One really good thing I discovered when Misty was with me, was online shopping!
If I planned ahead carefully and made a good list, I could do ALL my grocery shopping online and get it delivered. So that meant I never had to go to a supermarket and even leave her in the car
Ebay and Amazon also came in very handy for anything I couldn't get from the grocery store.
The only place I felt safe to leave her was my little village shop/post office. If we had to walk there, I would 'park' her just outside. The shop lady usually came out to give her a biscuit.
If Jet was with us....that was great because nobody in their right mind would go near Jet! He was growly to strangers, and stank like heck!

[Catherine]

It was fortunate that the dog was found. I think the extreme publicity made a difference. Who ever had the dog didn't want to get caught with it.

You were smart with Misty. Online shopping is safer when you have a pet. I bet no one messed with Jet. He knew how to look after himself.


In this case the owner wanted a coffee. I don't think I would leave a dog outside that shop. The dog wouldn't be visible from inside. There might have been a better place to get a coffee. Maybe they would have let her bring the dog inside.

I worry every time I see a dog sitting tied up outside a store.  It would be so distressing for a dog to be stolen. They already don't like being left outside.