WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KNX) — A French bulldog stolen in West Hollywood last week was reunited with his owner over the weekend. The dog was found nearly 3,000 miles away, in Philadelphia.
Surveillance video from a business near the home of Rachel Avery showed her French bulldog, Jag, had slipped his collar and was running around the neighborhood on Jan. 9 when several men emerged from a black SUV, grabbed him off Avery's front porch, and drove away.
According to WeHoville, Avery posted a $5,000, no-questions-asked reward for Jag's safe return.
Days later, Avery received a call from someone in Philadelphia who had Jag. The person claimed not to have stolen him, and promised to return the dog if Avery did not pursue criminal charges.
"When I heard he was in Philadelphia, it was unbelievable," Avery told ABC 7. "I was in shock that so quickly a dog can be taken and then transported to another state, but here he is, snoring behind me."
It was not immediately known whether Avery's reward was collected, or if any arrests had been made in connection with the theft.
Jag's theft is the latest in a bout of recent thefts involving French bulldogs in the Los Angeles area. The breed is highly prized, and can be resold at a significant dollar amount. In December, a man was attacked and dragged 200 feet by a suspect's car after his French bulldog was stolen. Earlier last year, French bulldogs owned by Lady Gaga were stolen and her dogwalker shot. FIve people were ultimately arrested in connection with that crime.
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