Bowie the toy Australian shepherd is back with his rightful owner after an episode of larceny earlier this month, thanks to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police and an alert community member, police said.
Bowie faithfully waited for his owner on a leash attached to a bicycle rack outside the Safeway at 470 North Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos while his owner was shopping Aug. 6. However, when the owner returned, he discovered his dog was missing and called the police department, according to police.
A member of the community learned about the incident on social media and called police Aug. 15 saying they had seen a dog similar to Bowie. The caller identified a woman as a suspect in the missing dog case, police said.
When officers visited the suspect’s San Jose home, who should come bounding out of the door but Bowie, who ran out of the residence and to the officers, according to police.
The officers restored Bowie to his owner in what presumably could be described as a joyful reunion.
The suspect, Desiree Brennan, 28, of San Jose, was later arrested on suspicion of grand theft and possession of a controlled substance. She was booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail, police said.
“Clearly there has been a rise in the theft of dogs,” said Buffy Martin Tarbox of the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA. Owners should not bring their pets along if they are going to a public place and can’t take them inside, Tarbox said.
“It’s not just the possibility of the dog being stolen, the dog could get spooked by the noise of a car or a grocery cart and run into the street and get hit by a car,” Tarbox said.
Also, animals should not be left in a vehicle, even with windows left open, she said.
“If you love them, if you can’t take them inside, leave them at home,” Tarbox said.