A Chicago man has been reunited with his beloved terrier after the dog was stolen from his West loop condo building last week.
Barnaby was turned in at a PAWS Chicago Wednesday afternoon just hours after someone reported seeing the suspected dognapper at a nearby pet store, according to a post on the Find Barnaby Facebook page.
Adam Johnston, who lives in Randolph Place Residences at 165 N. Canal St., said he returned home around 5 p.m. May 18 to find that his beloved West Highland White Terrier was missing.
A search of the apartment showed no sign of the 6-year-old dog, who has lived with Johnston since he was a 4-month-old puppy. Surveillance footage from the building showed that Barnaby had been taken by an unknown offender.
The footage shows a man walk out of the building carrying the dog and look both ways before walking to a waiting car. The dog had been taken outside earlier in the day by a dog walker, but the video also shows that he returned the dog before the alleged dognapping incident. Johnston said he does not suspect any wrongdoing on the part of the dog walker.
Nothing else in the apartment was taken or disturbed, according to Johnston. The dog alone, however, is worth hundreds or even thousands. Dogs like Barnaby can sell for $2,000 or $3,000, detectives said.
According to the Find Barnaby page, which has more than 2,000 likes, someone reported seeing the suspect at a nearby Petco early Wednesday afternoon, but when they tried to take a photo, the man fled the store. Hours later, a man who was not the suspect brought Barnaby into a PAWS Chicago shelter.
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“We think maybe the suspect was spooked at having been recognized, but really don’t know for sure,” the post read.
An investigation is still ongoing into why the dog was taken and how, but Johnston said he’s just happy to have his dog back.
