Law enforcement combines to retrieve stolen puppy

A stolen puppy was returned to its rightful owner after quick work by a media savvy dog control officer and Kelowna police.

The dog was reported stolen from a home in West Kelowna on Tuesday and its theft was described in media reports.

On Thursday, a dog control officer who’d read the news coverage was on routine patrol when he happened to see the stolen puppy on Lawrence Avenue, near Gordon Drive in central Kelowna.

The officer called Kelowna RCMP and police say their investigation led them to a home in the 1100 block of Centennial Avenue. They recovered the puppy, gave it to the dog control officer, and the animal was returned home.

While at the Centennial Avenue residence, police officers also discovered a bike that had been reported stolen last December. It was also returned to its rightful owner.

No charges have been laid but the dual investigation is ongoing, RCMP Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said in a Friday morning release.

Bruce Smith, who speaks for the regional district’s dog control division, says it doesn’t typically get calls about stolen animals. “If we do, we refer these to the RCMP for investigation,” Smith said.

Special to Okanagan Newspaper Group A dog control officer and Kelowna RCMP member are shown alongside a puppy, stolen from a West Kelowna home, that was quickly returned to its owner.