ST. FRANCISVILLE — One family is celebrating the return of their beloved black lab after she was stolen by two men Tuesday evening, Jan. 28th, around 6 p.m. at the local truck stop gas station. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she is excited to bring their dog back home to their child.
“She’s a big piece of the family, and we just couldn’t afford to lose her,” the woman said.
The family didn’t think anything was off Tuesday night until their dog didn’t come home or come when called.
Whenever their dog didn’t come home that evening, the husband went to the station to look for her. That’s when he found out that she had been taken.
A surveillance video shows two men with the black lab putting her into the bed of a truck. The store was able to capture photos of both men, as well.
Someone at the truck stop tried to tell the men that the dog had nearby owners. The family said she was even wearing her collar with identification information.
“They took her anyways,” the woman said. “Our info is on her collar.”
While the lab is friendly, she is wary of strangers. One of the gas station attendants told the family she even bit one of the men as they were taking her as if she was putting up a fight, she said.
“That was another thing that was weird was that they were taking a dog that was clearly being aggressive toward them,” she said.
The family first contacted the West Feliciana Sheriff’s Office, but because the truck had Mississippi tags, it was out of their jurisdiction. The registered address was near Liberty, Mississippi. The sheriff’s office contacted the sheriff’s office near Liberty.
The family then ended up driving to the Amite County Sheriff’s Office in Liberty, and that’s when their luck turned.
One of the men who had taken the dog called the department on Wednesday afternoon saying he had possession of the dog.
The family, with sheriff’s deputies, was able to get their dog back from the man. When they got her back, the family said that the man with the dog said they were just trying to keep her safe and return her to the owners.
“We think that social media pressured them into returning her to us,” she said.
This good news has been a turn in the difficult time the family has already had this month. They recently had to put down their 11-year-old dog and then one of their horses got very sick and also passed away.
“Our two-year-old is asking where all the animals are,” she said.
Now the mother is happy to show their child that their beloved pet is safe and home again.
“I’m in a little bit of disbelief and a zillion different emotions, but there’s a lot of happy feelings in this truck right now,” she said, referencing her dog riding with her. “She’s fine, a little dusty, but good.”
The Amite County Sheriff’s Office arrested both Brandon Baker and Brent Bizette of Mississippi on misdemeanor possession of stolen things. One of the men is in jail for charges he was wanted for in Livingston Parish as well.
The West Feliciana Sheriff’s Office is completing their investigation and expects charges for both men in the coming days.
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