Nancy Willis
SOURIS – Ever leave your keys in your car, even for a brief moment? If you do, think twice because believe me and my dog, Sandy, it sure isn’t worth it.
Earlier this week, I was in Charlottetown in the morning and decided to grab some breakfast at Cora’s. It was a bright, sunny day with lots of people around.
I parked my car across the street in front of the Confederation Centre and ran quickly in, leaving the keys in the ignition and Sandy happily perched on the back seat.
When I paid my bill, I came out and headed towards the car and found only an empty parking space. I was stunned. I tried to recall leaving it in some other location but came up blank.
It wasn’t long before I had to accept that my car was gone and our dog along with it.
I rang up my husband, Phil, and we notified the city police. Phil, as you can imagine, was less than thrilled with my stunning behaviour but handled it very well regardless.
Const. Sean Coombs set up a mini dragnet throughout the city and notified other agencies and key contact points from here to Moncton and Halifax.
I and my whole family jumped on bikes and cruised the streets of Charlottetown searching.
Every taxi company in Charlottetown and Summerside joined in, alerting all their drivers to be on the lookout for Sandy. The Confederation Bridge people, the Northumberland Ferry workers, radio stations, everyone was on the hunt for the kidnapped dog and vehicle.
Somewhere around noon, the police called to say they received a report that a drunken man had filled his car with a full tank of gasoline at the Shell Station on University Avenue tried, tried to pay for it with a defunct credit card, then driven away without paying. The service station attendant described the car and said the dog was still in the back seat.
With that, the hunt intensified. We looked everywhere possible, and the Charlottetown City Police performed magnificently.
The name on the credit card was one with which police were extremely familiar. Coombs and his partner, Tim Keizer, focused in on the area in which the 45-year-old’s former partner lived, and in the process found out that he had already tried to sell the car to a nearby resident.
They set up a stakeout and hid behind a fence and waited patiently. Sure enough, some time later the man drove into the driveway with the missing car. When he opened the door and got out the police leaped from their hiding spot and pursued him, taking him to the ground in the process.
At that point, the dog leaped out barking in a frenzy as Coombs and Keizer wrestled the man to submission. Coombs said the pooch was very useful in the thief’s apprehension.
The man is now in custody and being charged with numerous counts which include theft of a motor vehicle, theft of gasoline, refusing the breathalyzer, and driving while under prohibition. He is also charged with violation of a court undertaking that prohibited him from going anywhere near his former partner because of previous abusive behaviour.
Unfortunately, there is no appropriate dognapping law under which he could be charged as well.
Coombs said the man is considered a flight risk and police will be seeking a remand order to allow them to keep him in custody. “If we don’t, he could be gone to Alberta,” said the officer.
Sandy was triumphant when his owners appeared. His collar and ident tags were gone and one can only speculate as to what his fate would have been if the police hadn’t conducted such a brilliant operation and found him.
Some kind neighbour in the area left a nice bowl filled with water in the back of the car for Sandy, for which he thanks them kindly. If they could call The Guardian and let me know their address I would gladly return it.
My family and I want to thank everyone who helped us in the search for Sandy. It was a real experience in the ways of life on a small island, and the place people have in their hearts for a dog.
