Stolen Vancouver dog home thanks to "intuitive hero" (PHOTOS)

Brooke Henderson | teh_z1b/Shutterstock

The search to find a dog stolen from Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood spanned cities and social media networks this week and even led to a police chase (albeit not exactly high speed).

That’s according to Ollie’s owner Brooke Henderson, a Vancouver resident, who said despite a stranger walking off with the family’s beloved border collie, the whole experience actually made her feel “more confident in humanity.”

It began Tuesday night when Ollie was left tied up outside a liquor store on Cambie Street while Henderson’s dad ran inside. A moment later, a woman, who a witness described as acting erratically, walked off with the border collie.

“Someone had the good sense to take a photo of the lady walking Ollie away from the liquor store because something just didn’t feel quite right. I believe that picture generated a lot of leads on social media,” Henderson said.

Facebook

“His name is Ollie and he is a very sweet border collie. He has a bad leg and often hops around on three (favouring his back left leg I think). I know the CCTV picture is terrible, but the person who stole him appears to be wearing a pink jacket or sweater. Please keep an eye out for him, thank you kindly,” Henderson’s post reads in part.

She said once her appeal for information went up on Facebook, the news snowballed with others sharing her search on other platforms, including Reddit. She also reached out to police.

“I had such an outpouring of support (and some criticism) from absolute strangers. I have never experienced such a spontaneous and genuine connection to so many people, and it highlighted our common sense of humanity.”

She said an “intuitive hero” spotted a dog matching Ollie’s description in the Coquitlam area around 2 am and felt that something was off about the owner who had just boarded a bus with the animal. They went on Reddit and found Ollie’s missing ad and jumped into action.

“Then this person got in her car and followed the bus that Ollie was on, coordinated with [Transit Police] and the two were intercepted at the next bus stop,” Henderson said.

It turns out that eagle-eyed bystander was an off-duty Transit employee who had just finished her shift at the Lougheed Station when she suspected something wasn’t right.

You might also like:

Transit Police Constable Amanda Steed says this heartwarming ending is a demonstration of all staff coming together.

“At the request of Transit Police, Coast Mountain Bus Company Transit Communications put out an alert to all bus operators in the area with a description of the suspect and Ollie. A Route 9 bus operator quickly noted Ollie and the suspect on board their bus and provided police with real time updates,” Steed said.

“The 35-year-old female suspect from North Vancouver, who is known to police, was arrested for theft and possession of stolen property,” Steed added.

It’s believed the suspect had taken the Canada Line and SkyTrain as well as several buses, making it as far as Port Moody before stopped.

Ollie returned home safe and sound

Henderson said she woke up that morning to a message from Richmond animal control at 4 am which said “Got your dog. We are trying to contact you.” The message included a picture of Ollie.

Ollie took a ride in a police cruiser and was reunited with his family less than an hour later.

“Ollie arrived home, pounded a bowl of water and snacks, and got to cozying up with his favourite toys. I’m sure he thought it was a weird and wild adventure. It’s my parents that continue to feel traumatized,” Henderson said.

Ollie with his family/Brooke Henderson

The family dog Ollie and Dexter/Brooke Henderson

Unfortunately, dog theft stories are not rare, and Henderson said she’s had a lot of other people reach out with their own heartbreaking stories, many of which didn’t end in reunification.

Henderson said she also has received a lot of online hate, and judgment, but has chosen to rise above it and focus on the good and is encouraging others to turn to the community for help in times of need.

“If your dog is stolen, realize that you can rely on the kindness of strangers through social media, as capricious as that may sound (but beware of apparent scammers),” she said. “I couldn’t have done this without the prolific efforts of an online community, united in values. And it is certainly a lesson learned, about leaving your dog for only a few minutes, in an area you expect to be safe.”