French bulldog reunited with owner after being snatched near Pilsen home
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A French bulldog from Pilsen was back in the care of his family Wednesday evening after he was snatched right outside his home.
The popular breed has been targeted by thieves in the past year looking to make a quick buck. In this case, a microchip saved the day.
As CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reported, the 1-year-old pup named Bruno was snatched up by a man who was just driving by along 18th Street Tuesday evening. Bruno was on the patio outside his owner's home when a gust of wind blew open the front gate, and the dog made his way out.
At the time, Bruno's owner, Juan Tavarez, was grabbing a sweater.
"I was frustrated," Tavarez said. "I couldn't breathe. I couldn't eat. I couldn't do nothing."
Surveillance footage would capture Bruno's steps where he crossed the street. A man driving a blue hatchback jumped out of his car, claiming the dog was his neighbor's.
Without skipping a beat, that man took the dog from a pedestrian, hopped into his car, and took off.
"Him grabbing my dog - and grabbing him, smiling on the camera like it was actually funny to him, taking someone else's property," Tavarez said.
Tavarez would spend the next couple of hours knocking on doors, filing a police report, and canvassing the neighborhood in search of the vehicle and Bruno.
Then he received a phone call.
"Somebody picked him up, found him, you know - obviously did the right thing, and went to a vet - and they called me right away," Tavarez said.
A Good Samaritan found Bruno - who apparently was dumped in a parking lot near the University of Illinois Chicago. She took him to Woodlawn Animal Hospital, where they scanned him, detected a microchip, and were able to pull up his owner's contact information
"I'm happy I did get him chipped, because if not, you know, like I said - I probably wouldn't even be with him right now," Tavarez said.
Dognappings have been on the rise the past year - up 40 percent from a year ago. French bulldogs like Bruno have become the most popular target.
Among the highest-profile cases was when two Frenchies owned by Lady Gaga were stolen at gunpoint outside her home in Los Angeles.
In most cases, dognappings - or instances of dogs getting loose - don't have the outcome seen in Bruno's case. For that reason, veterinarians urge dog owners to get their pet microchipped
The average cost to get a pet microchipped done is about $40, and then an additional fee to get it activated.
And you can ask Tavarez, it also saved him a whole lot of heartache.