On the evening of Tuesday, January 5 Sarah Vorhaus was walking her two dogs, Chloe and Colton in the Russian Hill area of San Francisco, CA when she was violently assaulted by three men. The reason for the attack quickly became clear to 30-year-old Vorhaus when one of the men demanded, “give me your dog.”
Vorhaus turned to see a man with a gun. He punched her in the face several times, snatched Chloe, and took off in a car with two other men.
“I just started screaming for help,” a distraught Vorhaus told ABC7 News Tuesday night. “Someone called 911 and the ambulance came.”
The heartbroken dog mom was taken to the hospital and found to have no major injuries. She is now recovering and offering a reward of $2,000 for Chloe’s safe return.
“No questions asked, we will pay truly anything, no questions asked,” Vorhaus said through tears. “I don’t even care what happens to this guy. I just want to get Chloe back.”
Chloe is a 5-month-old French Bulldog. She is gray, has blue-gray eyes, a small white spot on her chest, and weighs about 13 pounds. She was wearing a purple collar when she was stolen. Unfortunately, Chloe has not yet been microchipped because Vorhaus was waiting to have it done at the time of her spay surgery.
There were several people on the street at the time of the attack which occurred just before 6 PM. San Francisco Police are interviewing witnesses for potential leads. It is not yet known if the incident was caught on surveillance video.
According to Vorhaus all three men were wearing masks and the primary assailant appeared to be in his twenties or thirties wearing a hoodie.
In the wake of the incident, Vorhaus is considering leaving the San Francisco area where she has lived for six years—but not without Chloe.
Anyone who has any information on Chloe’s whereabouts can call Sarah’s boyfriend Peter at 630-441-0351 and/or the San Francisco Police’s 24-hour tip line at 1-415-575-4444. You can also Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
Witnesses may remain anonymous. The most important thing is bringing Chloe home.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) has tracked stolen dog statistics since 2007. As of 2018-the most recent year for which data are available—French Bulldogs are the second most targeted breed after the Yorkshire Terrier. Shih-Tzus, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, and Huskies are also prime targets for thieves.
The AKC offers the following advice for keeping your pooch safe:
The AKC recommends dog owners do what they can to protect their pets, including not leaving them in the car, or tied up outside of a store or restaurant. They also recommend making sure your dog is microchipped and the information is up to date. Owners of high-value dogs are also advised not to post where they live, places they frequent, or how much they paid for their dogs.
H/T to ABC7News
Featured Images via Twitter/Liz Kreutz
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