PORTLAND, Ore. — After a man was caught on surveillance video stealing a homeowner's dog, the dog and its owner were reunited a day later.
Matthew Davis — the owner of Banjo, the 13-year-old stolen Shih Tzu — told KGW he was contacted Friday night by two men who were approached by a woman who gave them the dog about a half-mile from his home. The men had checked the collar, called Davis and set up a meeting.
Davis said that the men turned down the reward money he'd offered. He added that the community stepped by putting up fliers, sharing posts online, riding TriMet and even giving cash at homeless camps for Banjo's return.
Early Thursday morning, a man was spotted trying to break into two homes in Portland's Laurelhurst neighborhood. In the video, the man appears disoriented, even asking the homeowner's dog if he had a spare key.
"I think he was high, or he was medically affected," Davis told KGW. "I don't think he was aware of what he was doing."
The man eventually gave up on trying to enter the homes and instead grabbed the dog. The video shows him walking around in the dark with no shirt, one shoe, and Banjo.
"I already felt violated enough when I found the backyard in disarray," Davis said, mid-tears. "But when I found Banjo missing, I just had no words."
After posting about his stolen dog on social media, three different witnesses told Davis they saw the man, barefoot, get on Bus 19 headed towards Gresham.
Davis said he has no plans to press charges against the man in the video; he just wanted his dog back home.
"When he was holding Banjo, he seemed to be gentle with him," Davis said. "I hope that he is taking the best care of Banjo that he can and is just not knowing what to do now."
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