A Kelowna Mountie has tracked down a puppy taken from a family vehicle late Friday afternoon.

On July 3, 2015 at 4:04 pm, the Kelowna RCMP responded to a report of a theft of a dog that had just occurred in the parking lot of Costco Wholesale located at 2479 Highway 97 N. A family visiting from Kamloops had left their puppy, an English Setter named “Bailey,” in the truck bed of their vehicle while they went inside the store. When the family returned to their vehicle they discovered Bailey was gone.

Witnesses at the scene told the family that an unknown man had taken their dog, and provided a detailed description of the male suspect, who the family recognized as being in the area prior. The family called and reported the incident to police, who conducted extensive patrols of the area.

On July 4, 2015 in the early morning hours, while out on routine patrol, the lead investigator located and questioned a man matching the suspects description in the area of Highway 97 and Underhill Street. The 56 year old Kelowna man admitted to being at the Kelowna Costco the day prior and was subsequently arrested for the alleged theft.

Through further investigation police learned that the man reportedly observed the puppy in distress, removed the puppy from the back of the vehicle and took the puppy to his residence with the intention of delivering the animal to the BC SPCA. Police later located Bailey the puppy and returned him safely to his family.

“It was truly rewarding,” said Cst. Wyatt Wright, “to be able to locate and return Bailey to his family in such a short period of time. Bailey was obviously a beloved part of their family who were all extremely ecstatic to have him return home.”