Valley back home safe and sound after a long weekend
Some dogged determination and a lot of love helped bring home 7-month-old Valley after the little golden retriever was dognapped from in front of a Capitol Hill market Friday night.
In a bit of drama that played out in the CHS Classifieds this weekend, Valley was reported missing after being taken while waiting for his owner outside Hillcrest Market around 9:30 PM:
Valley’s owner and a friend stopped in to Hillcrest Market at Olive & John last night at about 9:30. She tethered her 7-month-old Golden Retriever (named Valley) outside and was in the market for less than a minute. There was a homeless couple (white, 30’s) when she went in to the store and she strongly suspects they took the puppy and bolted.
Though the incident was reported to police, Valley’s family tells CHS the break came Saturday when a friend spotted the puppy with a woman at the Plymouth Pillars off-leash area. As she searched the area, the dognappers must have had a change of heart. Valley’s owner got a phone call that the puppy had just been dropped off at the Broadway Mud Bay. She rushed to the store and reports that Valley is back home and exhausted after his adventure.
dfNice ColOur organization stewards the off-leash areas in Seattle (including Plymoth Pillors) and would love to help alert our OLAs to be on the lookout next time there is an incident like this.
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OK, there was TWO of you at Hillcrest and you left the dog unattended outside? Send one person in while somebody stays outside with the dog.
I agree. I hope this owner learned a BIG lesson. There is not anything in any store that is more important that your pet.
I don’t think they’ll ever do this again….pretty much certain.
No, instead they’ll break the law by bringing their dog into places they aren’t allowed.
I could never leave my dog tethered outside a store, not even for a minute. I’m so glad they got their pup back and hope the never leave their dog unattended again.
What kind of person walks off with another person’s dog. Aargh . Wish I could unread this.
I can’t even begin to imagine the panic they must have felt and I never want to,which is why I would NEVER leave my dog outside a store.
Leaving a 7 month old puppy tied up outside a store is comparable to leaving a child tethered outside. They are cute, vulnerable and helpless. Sheesh, people — use your heads.
While in this case it turned out to be likely, at worst, an attempt to acquire a “sympathy dog” by a couple of panhandlers, the first thing that always crosses my mind when dogs are taken is that they might be used as bait dogs by fighting dog trainers. People do steal dogs for this, and the sweeter and more trusting, or old and weak, the better suited they are to be mercilessly attacked. Leaving your dog outside isn’t cool, and they never seem to enjoy it anyway (seriously, every single one I’ve seen waiting is visibly anxious, to some degree). Take the dog home or change your plan, because this ain’t the Issaquah Highlands.
Valley is a spitting image of Doug from the movie Up. Squirrel!