SAN FRANCISCO - When Casey, a 5-year-old Chihuahua-corgi mix, was reunited with her owner 13 days after being stolen by a stranger, you could say she was tickled pink. Literally.
The thief had dyed the dog's fur pink
to disguise it from a growing throng of investigators, police and city residents looking for the dog.
But that didn't stop Susan Leong from recognizing the pooch that disappeared while she was grocery shopping in San Francisco's Marina District on Nov. 8.
Witnesses said they saw a man come up to the dog, which was tied up outside. The man patted her on the head, picked her up, and then drove off with her in his Mercedes-Benz. As the man drove off, an anxious Casey peered out the back window, witnesses told police.
"Dognapping is serious, especially if you're a dog owner," San Francisco Police Lt. Tom Buckley said. "She was frantic."
Witnesses managed to write down a few of the car's license plate numbers and got a good description of the thief. Leong called police, alerted the city's animal control department, and even hired a private investigator to help find her dog.
Ten days later, after posting flyers and searching the neighborhood, Leong spotted Casey with a man in the same Mercedes-Benz, parked at a playground in the Marina district.
"That's my dog!" Leong shouted at the man. But the man said the dog was his, jumped into his car and drove off.
Leong wrote down the full license plate number, which was registered to a local community church. Police staked out church, but the man didn't show.
Finally, on Friday, 49-year-old Jeffrey Snyder of San Francisco drove up in the Mercedes-Benz, with Casey, her fur freshly shaven and dyed.
Police arrested Snyder, who insisted that he had bought the dog from a homeless man. Snyder, who sometimes did custodial work for the church and had meals there, was charged with grand theft and other crimes before he was released on bail.
Former FBI agent Rick Smith, who runs Cannon Street Inc. Investigations, the private investigation company hired to find Casey, said Leong was relieved that all her hard work paid off.
"She loves the little dog," Smith said. "She is very pleased she got her animal back in a situation where she was fairly sure it wasn't going to happen."
The thief had dyed the dog's fur pink
to disguise it from a growing throng of investigators, police and city residents looking for the dog. But that didn't stop Susan Leong from recognizing the pooch that disappeared while she was grocery shopping in San Francisco's Marina District on Nov. 8.
Witnesses said they saw a man come up to the dog, which was tied up outside. The man patted her on the head, picked her up, and then drove off with her in his Mercedes-Benz. As the man drove off, an anxious Casey peered out the back window, witnesses told police.
"Dognapping is serious, especially if you're a dog owner," San Francisco Police Lt. Tom Buckley said. "She was frantic."
Witnesses managed to write down a few of the car's license plate numbers and got a good description of the thief. Leong called police, alerted the city's animal control department, and even hired a private investigator to help find her dog.
Ten days later, after posting flyers and searching the neighborhood, Leong spotted Casey with a man in the same Mercedes-Benz, parked at a playground in the Marina district.
"That's my dog!" Leong shouted at the man. But the man said the dog was his, jumped into his car and drove off.
Leong wrote down the full license plate number, which was registered to a local community church. Police staked out church, but the man didn't show.
Finally, on Friday, 49-year-old Jeffrey Snyder of San Francisco drove up in the Mercedes-Benz, with Casey, her fur freshly shaven and dyed.
Police arrested Snyder, who insisted that he had bought the dog from a homeless man. Snyder, who sometimes did custodial work for the church and had meals there, was charged with grand theft and other crimes before he was released on bail.
Former FBI agent Rick Smith, who runs Cannon Street Inc. Investigations, the private investigation company hired to find Casey, said Leong was relieved that all her hard work paid off.
"She loves the little dog," Smith said. "She is very pleased she got her animal back in a situation where she was fairly sure it wasn't going to happen."