CONCORD, CALIFORNIA – A routine dinner trip in downtown Concord became a nightmare for one local dog owner in May of this year after his vehicle was stolen with his family dog still inside.
The theft happened on May 26 while Henry’s owner, Stefan Ahrendt, was eating dinner nearby. Ahrendt had left Henry in the parked vehicle with the windows partially lowered, according to local television station KRON4.
When he returned to the downtown parking garage, both the vehicle and Henry were gone.
Ahrendt told the station that he immediately began to panic and contacted police to report the theft.
Concord Police dispatchers and officers launched a search for the missing vehicle. Approximately 12 hours after the theft, officers located the vehicle near the area where it had originally been taken.
Most importantly, Henry was still there and appeared to be safe.
Police recovered the dog and brought him into a patrol vehicle while arrangements were made to reunite him with his owner. The department shared video of Henry riding with Officer Zukowski during the unexpected adventure.
Henry was later returned safely to Ahrendt.
Concord Police credited the quick response of the department’s dispatchers and officers for helping bring the incident to a positive conclusion.
“For many people, pets are family,” the department said in its post about the recovery. “We’re grateful this story had a happy ending.”
Police did not release information about how the vehicle was stolen, whether anything else was taken or damaged, or whether investigators had identified a suspect. No arrest had been announced in connection with the theft as of the department’s initial report.
