Stolen Dog ‘Waffles’ Returned To Owners After Dognapper Dyed Her Fur Black

Waffles, an adorable blond and gray Cairn Terrier went missing from her loving family in Seattle, Washington, last week. Fortunately, she was returned home on Saturday, but with a much different look.

New York Daily News reports that Waffles went missing last week after her family tied her up to a post outside of a Queen Anne, Washington, grocery store, while they ran a quick errand. The dog was apparently stolen within the few minutes the family was in the store.

Frantic to find their furry family member, the dog owner, Robert Lucier, stapled posters of Waffles throughout numerous streets, which led to several phone calls from people offering tips. One caller told Lucier that she spotted the dog in downtown Seattle, with a homeless woman who was “washing the paint out of your dog” near the Seattle Center.

https://twitter.com/HenryKIRO7/status/645341547102269440

Lucier, who indicated that Waffles was never painted, contacted the police and went down to center on his bike, where he spotted the homeless woman walking his freshly-dyed dog on a leash. Yet, when he confronted the woman, she refused to return Waffles.

“She said, ‘this is my dog, why are you following me?’ I had this split fear of, ‘are we harassing her?'”

Regardless, Lucier, whose two young children desperately wanted Waffles back at home, reached down to talk the dog, and immediately smelled dye chemicals.

https://twitter.com/HenryKIRO7/status/645303234450460673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“This has got to be Waffles. No one dyes their dog! And then this woman tried to take off! We tussled while Waffles got away.”

The woman threatened to call the police on Lucier for assault, but authorities had already arrived on the scene. After separating the two, the police determined that the dog was indeed Waffles after getting her microchip information. If not for the microchip, Lucier doesn’t know if he would have been able to take his scared dog home.

“Thank goodness she had a microchip.”

Although Waffles was returned home, Lucier reported that the poor pup is still a bit shaken up from the incident.

“She’s still shocked. She’s normally such a friendly, outgoing dog. She’s still walking around with her tail between her legs. It’s going to take a little time for her to get adjusted.”

Waffles is in the process of returning back to her normal color, but it may take a bit of time before all of the black is removed from her fur.

The family decided not to press charges against the homeless woman. Lucier indicated that she probably has bigger problems to worry about and doesn’t need a “stolen dog” on her record.

[Photo Courtesy of Henry Rosoff/Twitter]