Hayward Man Reunited With Stolen Therapy Dog
HAYWARD (CBS SF) -- A smile lit up the face of Hayward's Arthur Renowitzky.
His therapy dog -- appropriately named 'Love' -- was back sitting in his lap after the beloved pet had been stolen from him as he got out of his car Tuesday afternoon.
Renowitzky has been in a wheelchair ever since he was paralyzed from the waist down after a robber shot him in San Francisco 10 years ago. Love has been his constant companion and source of support.
"I just had to keep the faith (that we would) get her back," he said.
But Arthur's best friend Samantha Goldie admitted the 28 hours Love was gone were nightmarish.
"It was like his child had been kidnapped," she said. "I'm just so happy, so grateful (the dog was found)."
The pair spent much of that time since the abduction passing out flyers in the area and telling people about a reward for information about the dog.
"Who in their right mind would do this when you see someone in a wheelchair and you see a dog that has on a therapy vest?" Arthur said. "What kind of cruel person would do that?"
Finally a call came. A person saw a media story about Arthur's plight and then spotted a homeless woman with the dog. The person bought the stolen dog back from the woman and returned Love back to Arthur.
"I told her (the homeless woman), I just saw that dog on the news and I told her the police is looking for that dog," said James, who returned the dog to Renowitzky.
Once reunited, the smile returned to Arthur's face.
"I so happy, grateful you know they returned my dog," he said. "I got my dog back."