The Washington DC Capitol Hill area is full of walking communities. It’s not uncommon for residents to run errands with their furry friends in tow. Such was the case with Caroline Boyce, her boyfriend, and her dog Charlie (short for Charlotte) last weekend.
Boyce tied up a 7-year-old rescue puppy outside a giant Food supermarket when the couple popped in to buy groceries. When they returned, Charlie was gone.
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They contacted the police and immediately started distributing flyers. By the next day, some advice had come out that Charlie might be owning a woman in a nearby apartment building. Boyce shared the information with police, who knocked on the woman’s door but received no answer.
Luckily, Capitol Hill’s dog lovers were still present at the incident. Boyce began receiving calls from apartment dwellers around 10 p.m. that evening that the suspect had returned home.
“Surname reached out his hand and said, ‘You need to come here now. This woman is here. ‘”
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Take matters into their own hands
Boyce and her boyfriend immediately headed to the property, where another resident directed them to the suspect’s door. The pair are determined to bring Charlie back despite the potential threat to their safety.
“I knew that was a risk,” Boyce said. “We just begged, ‘Please, please, please let us get our dog back. We can see her. We can see you,” said Boyce.
The silhouette of a woman was clearly visible below the apartment door. Even more frustratingly, so were Charlie’s feet. Despite hours and pleas, the suspect did not respond.
A happy reunion
Boyce and boyfriend still won’t give up. After just two hours of sleep, they returned at 6 a.m. the next morning, ready to confront the suspect when she and Charlie walked out of the apartment.
They waited in the hallway for more than two hours before their persistence paid off. When the woman finally showed up with Charlie, the excited puppy ran straight into the couple’s arms.
“She, you know, laughed at us, turned around and went right upstairs,” Boyce said.
Boyce has yet to decide whether to charge the thief, but police said they are reviewing video footage taken from outside the grocery store to see if they can build a case.
While dreading seeing this woman again, Boyce said her most overwhelming emotion is gratitude to all the friends and strangers who helped bring Charlie home. And, of course, she’s grateful for more time with her dog.
“Walking for 30 minutes in the morning with Charlie is sometimes pushed to the point of fatigue. And, I think this experience… I’m really excited to be out there and you know, taking my dog for a long walk and enjoying the beautiful city we live in,” said Boyce. speak.
An ongoing problem
Several dog thefts have plagued the area in recent months, including a Golden Retriever stolen outside CVS just days before Charlie was arrested and armed theft of two dogs in Northwest DC in April.
The Golden Retriever was found safe, as was one of the dogs that was shot. However, another dog, a French Bulldog named Brunostill missing.
RELATED: Stolen French Bulldog Sold To An Unsuspecting Family For $20
