Owner Lena White and her family are very happy to have their pet home safe and attribute social media and news media coverage to his return.
“I honestly was very hopeful. I couldn’t believe the amount of people that helped and shared on Facebook. Everywhere I went, people reached out,” said White.
White said she thinks the amount of attention Irving got eventually scared whoever took him.
Irving was found walking with a limp on North Dixie Drive in Dayton Saturday around noon, White said.
A woman took Irving into North Dixie Veterinary Clinic where his microchip was scanned to positively identify him.
White said she does not believe he had been walking the streets for the last three days. Irving was clean even after heavy rain throughout the Miami Valley this week.
“He would not have survived,” said White.
She said she thinks he was dumped on the road because he was of no use to whoever took him due to being neutered. He could not be used to breed.
“I believe he was stolen because he was a Bulldog,” White said. “I’ve learned in the last three days that Bulldogs are stolen all the time because they’re worth a lot of money and people think they’re cute.”
Surveillance video from a neighbor Wednesday showed what appeared to be three to four kids and then two or three other people in the area at the time of his disappearance.
“I reviewed the video and was able to see that the dog was no longer in the video after the suspects walked back to the car,” a police report read.
According to White, Irving was wearing a Halloween scarf before he went missing but did not have it when he was located.
The woman who brought Irving into the veterinarian office did not fit the description of one of the people who took him, said White. She said she believed the woman was not involved.
“I felt like I had lost hope in humanity, but I was also not so sure,” White said on whether she thought she would see Irving again.
The family was shocked, surprised and ready to spend time with Irving.
About the Author