Pierce Co. deputies searching for stolen service dog
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TACOMA, Wash. -- Crime Stoppers doesn't normally offer a $1,000 reward for the arrest of a dog-napper, but Oreo isn't a common dog.
The Chihuahua and Pomeranian mix is a small dog, but he's got a big job. And that's why Pierce County sheriff's deputies want to find the people who stole him.
The dog belongs to a man who we'll call Charles. Charles took Oreo to the Sprinker Recreation Center to see a friend play softball, but the friend, Kelly, wasn't there, so Charles decided to leave.
As he walked out to the parking lot, a car came by, stopped, and somebody got out grabbed the dog, according to Kelly.
"He had to let go of the leash as the car drove by in fear of being dragged by the car or the dog being hurt being on the end of the leash," said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
It's always sad to learn of a dog being stolen, but most cases don't make it onto the radar of the sheriff's office. But this is more than a story about a dog. This is about a man who spent six weeks in a coma and who needed that dog.
"He pets the dog and the dog calms him down," Kelly said. "He feels good about himself and the dog is likely totally mesmerized."
Charles got pneumonia, then MRSA and spent six weeks in a coma. He was left with an anxiety complex and a traumatic brain injury, and Oreo became his special service dog.
With Oreo missing, Charles has been having a rough time.
"He just lost the battle. His anxiety level skyrocketed. It's not been a comfortable thing," said caregiver Judi Lords.
Kelly said Charles isn't eating or sleeping and spends much of his time looking out the window, hoping Oreo will magically appear.
Nobody expects that to happen, but Charles and his friends just hope the thieves have enough heart to drop Oreo off at a vet or shelter.
Oreo has a microchip, so any vet would be able to identify the owner and bring the dog home.
The Chihuahua and Pomeranian mix is a small dog, but he's got a big job. And that's why Pierce County sheriff's deputies want to find the people who stole him.
The dog belongs to a man who we'll call Charles. Charles took Oreo to the Sprinker Recreation Center to see a friend play softball, but the friend, Kelly, wasn't there, so Charles decided to leave.
As he walked out to the parking lot, a car came by, stopped, and somebody got out grabbed the dog, according to Kelly.
"He had to let go of the leash as the car drove by in fear of being dragged by the car or the dog being hurt being on the end of the leash," said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
It's always sad to learn of a dog being stolen, but most cases don't make it onto the radar of the sheriff's office. But this is more than a story about a dog. This is about a man who spent six weeks in a coma and who needed that dog.
"He pets the dog and the dog calms him down," Kelly said. "He feels good about himself and the dog is likely totally mesmerized."
Charles got pneumonia, then MRSA and spent six weeks in a coma. He was left with an anxiety complex and a traumatic brain injury, and Oreo became his special service dog.
With Oreo missing, Charles has been having a rough time.
"He just lost the battle. His anxiety level skyrocketed. It's not been a comfortable thing," said caregiver Judi Lords.
Kelly said Charles isn't eating or sleeping and spends much of his time looking out the window, hoping Oreo will magically appear.
Nobody expects that to happen, but Charles and his friends just hope the thieves have enough heart to drop Oreo off at a vet or shelter.
Oreo has a microchip, so any vet would be able to identify the owner and bring the dog home.
