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B.C. woman searching for stolen dog she says may have been taken by mistake

The person responsible may have believed terrier cross needed rescuing
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“Batman,” a six-year-old Yorkie/Chihuahua/Pomeranian cross, was taken from the Murrayville Square shopping plaza at Fraser Highway and 48th Avenue on Monday night, Dec. 11. (Special to Langley Advance Times)

Langley resident Johanna Vandyk thinks the person who stole her dog may have thought they were rescuing an abandoned puppy.

Vandyk had left Batman, her six-year-old Yorkie/Chihuahua/Pomeranian cross, tied up with his leash outside the Dollarama store in the Murrayville Square shopping plaza at Fraser Highway and 48th Avenue on Monday night, Dec. 11 while she went inside.

Batman, so named because he had facial marking like a Batman mask as a puppy, was fussing like he often does.

“He cries, he whimpers, he acts like he is abandoned.”

Usually, Batman’s much bigger buddy, Vandyk’s other dog, Bowie, a Pyrenees, would have been there to keep the tiny pup company, but the larger dog was in need of some washing-up, so he stayed at home.

When Vandyk came out of the store, Batman was gone.

A witness told her a middle-aged blond woman had unhooked Batman’s leash, got in a grey car with him, and left.

It happened around 9 p.m.

Vandyk was devastated.

“He’s not worth a lot of money, but he’s worth everything to me [and my husband],” she told the Langley Advance Times.

“I’ve had him since he was born. He’s our baby.”

Vandyk has reported the incident to Langley RCMP, and has contacted the Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) and other animal shelters, but so far, no one has turned Batman in.

“I’ve been on the phone all day.”

If the person who took her dog sees this and realizes their mistake, all they have to do is drop Batman off at LAPS or the RCMP, “no questions asked,” Vandyk said.

READ ALSO: Five puppies stolen in B.C. found as thieves try to sell them

READ ASLO: Happy ending in lost-pet saga as Lucy the beloved B.C. dog found safe



Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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