Stolen Bichon Frise

9 months ago my mom was absolutely heartbroken. Her 3 year old bichon, Breezy was playing in the backyard for about 10 minutes while my mom went in to check on dinner and when she went to check on him he was gone. The gate was closed and there was no way for him to have gotten out. After putting up hundreds of flyers, and even offering a reward...nothing happened. Flyers at the grocery store would be found ripped down, only within the first week of posting them (even though there was a 30 day period she paid to have them up there.)

My mom assumed someone stole him because he was just the sweetest angel...always wanting to be in your lap and give kisses...just a sweetheart.

My mom's suspisions were confirmed just last week! The oddest thing happened. My mom owns a doll store www.irresistibledolls.com (about 20 minute drive from where she used to live..she's since moved homes) and a lady with a bichon came in. My mom didn't notice him right away...but the lady said she would pick him up because he really likes stuffed animals (breezy's favourite toys). Well, as soon as she did, my mom almost broke down. It was breezy. (he is very distinct looking as he is MUCH bigger than a regular bichon and has certain features) My mom tried to keep her cool, and was asking questions like when she got him. The lady said she lived in Burlington (a skip and a jump away from my mom's home in Mississauga) and that her husband brought him home about 9 months ago as a surprise.

After asking a few questions (in friendly conversation) my mom took a chance and called breezy's name. He immediately got excited and responded. The lady tightened her grip on him and hurried to the door of the store! My mom couldn't hold back her tears and begged the lady to wait a minute. My mom asked to look at his tattoo as she had his papers right there in the store. But the lady wouldn't listen! Wouldn't show my mom the tattoo and kept saying she had to talk to her husband. My mom couldn't hold her hostage, so she asked the lady to take her business card and to please please call her...that was last week and still have heard nothing.

My mom had the local police over, called the breeder and has done everything possible to see what she could do. Which is, essentially, nothing.

So I'm posting this in hopes that if people do live in Ontario Canada we can get the word out for my mom. I will be posting a pic of breezy shortly, and if anyone knows of a way we can get help or spread this word..or has even seen my moms dog, please email me [email protected].


This is a desperate plea!

I hope I can help you. It makes me angry just to think about people who would do such things. This is as close to professional advice as your probably going to get over the internet: I'm a legal investigator in real life. I will make this disclaimer: none of this is legal advice, especially since I'm not familiar with the legal system in Canada. That said . . .

I don't know how things work in Canada, but in the U. S., assuming your mother can show that Breezy's value is above $500 (as I'm sure she can), it is considered felony theft. It's possible, if your Mom is willing to nag the officials (whoever is your equivalent of a prosecuting or district attorney), they will open a case and treat it as a felony.

Did your Mom get the license tag number on the car? If so, you should be able to find out who owns it and where they live. That lets you do all sorts of things, including filing civil suits.

Barring official means, I'd start cruising the Burlington area (if it's not prohibitively large) and if I saw Breezy, I'd grab him. You've got the papers and Breezy's got the tattoo proving he belongs to you.

You might enlist the help of the veterinary community. The only problem is that the woman's vet might cover for her. Then again, the vet might assist you since the dog is obviously stolen.

There's also a chance the woman has done some shopping (and might still) at some stores near your Mom's. If your Mom will take some pictures of Breezy, along with her description of the woman, to some of her neighbors, one of them might call her if the woman comes in with Breezy.

Since the woman is interested in dolls, your Mom can enlist the help of other doll shop owners in the area. Have them get the woman's name, maybe under the pretense of putting her on a mailing list for notices of new merchandise she would be interested in. When you've got it, get the police involved and go get Breezy! Make sure they've got warrants or whatever paperwork is official in Canada to do more than just go to the door, and try to get them to accompany your Mom so she can call out to Breezy in a voice he recognizes.

Your Mom - and you - need to keep copies of your papers on Breezy with you all the time, just in case you get a chance to retrieve him. That way you have proof that he is yours.

Your Mom needs to document everything that happened in her store by writing it down in detail and dating it. She should also write down everything she remembers about the woman.

Best of luck. Let us know how things progress. No one who is a decent human being would knowingly keep a well-loved pet from it's real owner. That's just reprehensible. She's even more depraved than her husband who stole Breezy in the first place!

Stolen dogs is becoming a big problem especially with expensive breeds. It is like horse stealing, they should shoot the thief

Buy about three dozen donuts and show up at the Burlington Police department every so often. Of course talk about the dog and share the pics/information you have. Do the same at the fire department or anyone who has the job of monitoring the town. This is how we used to find stolen equipment when I was a manager of an equipment company. Most people don't know what to look for so you have to keep it in their head. The average person does not know what a Bichon Frise looks like just like the average person doesn't know what a bobcat, a backhoe, or a excavator is if it was stolen. Help them do their job and your dog will be found quicker than you expected.

Visiting the vet's is an excellent idea and most have a bulletin boards for posting. The dog goes to an area vet and if it is posted publically the vet would have a hard time hiding the fact it's his patient...

If I was a dog thief, I sure would stay away from Renee's dogs

Chazhound

Well, considering we tell anyone who comes to the farm not to get out of the car until we come to get them . . . Just what kind of life span would you give someone who got into a car with an enraged Fila Brasileiro? (lol) Even "little" Bimmer would be more than most people could handle. Heck, Shiva happy is too much to handle! We've decided she's got the personality of a 130 pound (and growing) Jack Russell on steroids. I laughed one day, though, when I was talking to a girl from Miami. She knew what a Fila was, which was surprising, but she explained that her Grandmother, who lives in Miami, used to have a problem with being robbed. Then she got two Filas. Problem solved.

Seriously, to address Serena's concern about the 30 day stray issue: The fact that you have Breezy's papers and that he is tattooed should completely mitigate any argument of that type, especially given that his yard was fenced and the gate latched. If it comes down to a question of what is most believable, your Mom's side of the story is too well documented for anything other than a judge who's related to the thieves to disregard.

you guys are so helpful! Thank you!

Do you by any chance have a picture of Breezy?
I crossposted this onto the Petfinder boards, which is why I asked about the picture. I know there are quite a few Ontario people on that board, so hopefully he will be found and returned.

Your mother has a good chance of finding him now that she knows where he is. Just remain optimistic. That's how I found my gerbil when she wandered out of the house. (An agouti gerbil in an area with trees and dead brown leaves is not an easy find.)
Good luck in your search!

Yes, I just got one from my mom today! I appreciate the cross posting! All help is definately appreciated!
<img src="http://excoboard.com/forums/6718/user/33886/45390.jpg">

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/746745/RYAN.JPG

Heres the pic

That dog should be very easy to spot with the red ears