Dog walker held at gunpoint as group of men steal his two bulldogs, Georgia police say
.png "Two bulldogs, Scotch and Stogie, were stolen at gunpoint from a dog sitter in Atlanta, police said. One dog has been found as the owners continue searching for the other.")
UPDATE: Both dogs have now been returned after police said three masked men held a dogsitter at gunpoint and stole them, WSB-TV reported.
The original story is below.
A dogsitter was walking two bulldogs in Atlanta when three masked men held him at gunpoint and stole the dogs, police said.
Investigators responded to the call just after 8:30 p.m. Nov. 26, according to a news release from the Atlanta Police Department.
A video posted online from the dogsitter, Joshua Cavanaugh, shows him chasing after the men and calling for the dogs, named Scotch and Stogie.
“I ran after them as fast as I could,” Cavanaugh told 11Alive.
At one point in the video, a shot rings out.
The men get into a waiting SUV, which then takes off.
While police were responding to Cavanaugh’s call, they received word about a car accident nearby, according to the release. On the scene, they found the vehicle that matched the description Wayne gave.
The driver told police that the three men had held him at gunpoint and forced him to drive, officials said.
He drove away with the men in the car, but at one point he crashed into another vehicle and the men got out and fled on foot, police said.
The dogs belonged to the sitter’s friends, who were in London, according to Matthew Livingston, one of the owners.
“Brandon and I have gotten an early flight back to Atlanta from London tonight,” Livingston shared on Facebook. “I Just hope my boys are ok and we get them home safe.”
So far, Stogie has been found, Cavanaugh shared on Instagram.
The 2-year-old bulldog was found in the Adamsville neighborhood of Atlanta, roughly 7 miles west of where he and Scotch were taken.
“It is very much like two members of our family have been stolen, have been kidnapped,” Livingston told WSB-TV.
Both dogs are microchipped, Livingston said.
The couple is handing out fliers and asking anyone with information to come forward. They are offering a reward for Scotch’s safe return.
Scotch is a 2-year-old light brown English bulldog mix weighing about 55 pounds.
Police didn’t have any updates to share as of Nov. 29.
This story was originally published November 29, 2023 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Dog walker held at gunpoint as group of men steal his two bulldogs, Georgia police say."