A dog theft story with more twists and turns than SeaWorld’s Manta roller coaster has come to a rare happy ending.
It started on the afternoon of Dec. 6, when dog trainer and online fitness coach, Braden Frederick, dashed into a gym on University Avenue near San Diego State University to quickly use the bathroom. When he came out, his Toyota Camry carrying his two beloved pets had disappeared. In its place was an abandoned bicycle. He had left the engine running to keep the air conditioning going for the dogs. He knew it was risky, but thought he would be back too quickly for anything to happen.
Frederick called police and began a frantic search for his four-legged friends: Winston, who ran 27 mph to capture the fastest French bulldog world record, and Zena, a Boston terrier who is deaf and has one blue eye and one brown eye.
Over the next six days, Frederick’s social media “blew up” with postings of dog sightings around San Diego as well as condolences from dog lovers as far away as Canada, the Philippines, Spain and Venezuela.
The devastated dog owner posted a $1,000 reward poster online and on fliers he distributed around town. He knocked on the doors of nearby businesses asking to check security camera footage from the brief time he was in the gym.
He followed up on numerous “sightings,” which pointed to downtown San Diego where, for three days, he masqueraded as a transient and hung around homeless encampments in East Village and elsewhere.
His frantic hunt ended Dec. 12 when he was reunited with Winston and Zena, and police arrested the suspected car thief.
Branden Frederick, after sleepless nights, was gratefully reunited with his two dogs, who were in his car when it was stolen.
(Courtesy photo)
Frederick’s huge takeaway is this: “For one bad person, there’s an army of good people more than willing to help you out, especially in San Diego, which is such a dog-loving community.”
“I was a mess. In four days, I slept only eight hours,” he says.
During his search he encountered people whom he calls “angels” and experienced a miracle or two.
The first angel was a sympathetic Lyft operator whom Frederick called for a ride to his Spring Valley home after his car was stolen. The young male driver, concerned by his distress, asked what was wrong. When the story came out, the Lyft driver offered to lend Frederick his spare car so he could search for his missing pets.
“I’ve been driving his car all week. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” says the extremely grateful crime victim.
There also was a woman at C.D.C. Beauty Supply near the gym who located security footage showing a clear image of a bearded man on a bicycle, wearing a black brimmed cap and distinctive yellow-trimmed Nike shoes, stealing the Toyota. (Frederick doesn’t think the thief knew the dogs were inside.)
He posted the video on his social media sites, and soon the tips started pouring in. A man matching the description with the two dogs was spotted at the Apple store in Fashion Valley the next day. Someone reported seeing the man and dogs at Waterfront Park by the County Administration Building a day later. He subsequently was spotted downtown at Breakfast Republic, 707 G St., and near Seaport Village.
Frederick wasted no time in patrolling downtown streets. He showed the suspect’s picture to transients (whom he offered $10 for information), transit security officials, parking valets and others. He received several positive sightings.
Finally, he was directed to a homeless encampment behind an auto parts store, but the suspected thief was no longer staying there, presumably because he was taking refuge in the stolen vehicle.
Then he met another angel near Waterfront Park, a young woman named Paula, who asked that her last name not be publicized. She was walking her two Boston terriers — one with a blue and a brown eye, like his Zena. He shared his story, and she dove into the search, driving him around town so he could jump out to post reward fliers.
Mark Shaffer, owner of the late celebrity Boston terrier, Chopper the Biker dog, helped him get TV news coverage about the missing dogs. And a private detective, who specialized in stolen pets, came out of retirement to help with the search.
Then there was Jane, a pet lover who eschews publicity but relentlessly patrolled streets and pursued leads like a bulldog latched onto a beef bone.
In the end, it was those distinctive yellow Nikes and, to a lesser extent, the black hat that provided a break in the case.
First, Paula spotted the suspect walking the two dogs near the County Administration Building. She notified Frederick who was nearby, pulled her car to the curb and approached the man to ask for directions. She offered to hold the two dogs’ leashes and was gone in a flash, running across the street with the pups and screaming for help.
A short while later, Jane, a Nike shoe fanatic, spotted the same fellow wearing those distinctive shoes heading toward the downtown trolley station and summoned police. When they arrived, she related the story and suggested he might have the Toyota Camry key in his pocket. Sure enough, he did.
The fellow was arrested, and Frederick was reunited with his best friends, who were a little thinner but, otherwise, in good condition.
When it was over, Frederick recorded a video to post to let people know. He broke down.
“I tried to hold it together, but I couldn’t control my emotions,” he says. “So many horrible thoughts went through my head, but I tried to stay positive.”
That his dogs hadn’t been sold and were still together was nothing short of a miracle. What’s more, despite some additional trash, his vehicle, too, was in relatively good shape.
Frederick feels extremely blessed. Most stolen dog stories don’t come with a tail-wagging fairy tale ending.