Wiley is a 6-year-old Chocolate Lab/Chesapeake Bay Retriever cross who has gone through quite a rescue. She had joined her human mom, Angela Ream, on a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s and was tied outside to the “doggie dock” that the store recommends owners use for their pooches. When Ream came outside after shopping, however, she realized Wiley was gone. She knew Wiley had been stolen, as there was no way the dog could have wandered off. Being such a sweet girl, she’d gladly take a walk with a new friend.
“She’s the kind of dog that, if she were to get loose or something like that, she’s not going to go anywhere. She might try to go inside Trader Joe’s to find me. The fact that her leash was gone, I really thought someone might have taken her,” she told the Dallas Observer. She called her husband, Sterling Ream, who was taking a test during a grad school course. The two began visiting neighbors and posting flyers everywhere to find Wiley.
They also shared photos and flyers on Facebook for everyone to see and share. They were devastated at the loss of Wiley. She hadn’t come into their lives in the traditional way. Instead of adopting her, she adopted them. The couple was driving in Sterling’s hunting truck and an animal started following them down the road, eventually jumping into the bed of his pickup. They thought it was a coyote, but it ended up being Wiley. Several veterinary bills later, she was healthy and living in her new forever home with a human family that loves her.
Alyssa Sanderford didn’t know the Reams then, but she had a mutual friend on Facebook that did. She saw Wiley’s flyer and it struck her as she has her own dogs that she takes around town. They could easily be stolen from her Jeep just like Wiley was taken from Trader Joe’s. She noticed Wiley had a bright orange collar but in the end, didn’t think much of the missing dog outside of sharing the flyer in the hopes someone finds her.
She didn’t realize that someone would be her. She was driving the very next morning when she spotted a man with a dog that looked suspiciously like Wiley – including the bright orange collar. She parked and confronted the man, who became quite angry, and asked him to hand the stolen dog over. She grabbed the leash but he yanked it from her as he ran away.
Sanderford is a triathlete and she knew she could keep up. She took her sandals off and began running after the dog thief. Other citizens joined in. One Goodwill drop-off site worker joined the chase but had to call it off for himself, leaving Sanderford to continue. Another time, an SUV pulled up to help Sanderford chase the man, but they eventually had to leave as well. As she continued, she called the police. One of the Goodwill workers returned in his SUV and blocked the man fleeing. He wrestled the leash from him and Sanford got Angela Ream’s phone number and called her.
The police arrived but unfortunately did not arrest the man, stating that it would be difficult to convict him of a crime because no one witnessed him take Wiley. He told police he was homeless and found the dog. Ream, ecstatic to see her pup again, said she wouldn’t press charges anyway and that she felt sorry for the man that took her.
When Wiley saw Ream, she bounded over to her, licking her face and then collapsing by her side for a nap. There’s no doubt she’d been on some kind of adventure and most recently, a 35-minute run. The good news is that she’s back home safe and sound. Ream told the Observer how grateful she was for Sanderford. “I don’t even know this girl, and she risked so much to bring our dog home to us. It’s an unbelievable story. It sounds a little silly, but it restores your faith in humanity. For the one bad guy who had her, there were so many people who reached out and cared.”
Sanderford agrees that chasing down a stranger with a stolen dog is probably not the safest idea, but she knew she had to do it to save Wiley. Sanderford is quite the hero and we’re so happy to see everyone back together again.
