Neighbors Recover Stolen Dog Near Tattered Cover

Rachel Ansley got her dog Ezra back in Denver on Wednesday, nearly a week after surveillance video showed a woman walking away with him outside the Tattered Cover bookstore on East Colfax Avenue. Ansley had tied up Ezra outside the store after visiting the City Park Farmers Market on Saturday, May 16, and said she was inside for less than 10 minutes before finding him gone. Denver police later recovered the dog and arrested a woman after tracking her, Ansley told KDVR. Police have said the investigation remains open. ### How did the theft happen outside the bookstore? Saturday, May 16, was the day Ansley said she brought Ezra, a 6-year-old lab mix, to the City Park Farmers Market before stopping at Tattered Cover. She told CBS Colorado and KDVR that she tied his leash outside the bookstore and went in briefly to buy a book. When she returned a few minutes later, Ezra was gone. (kdvr.com) Surveillance video from the store showed a woman trying to feed Ezra Chipotle before luring him away and walking off with him, Ansley told KDVR. Ansley said she saw that video after calling police. ### What helped people identify the dog and the suspect? (kdvr.com) Hundreds of Denver residents joined the search after Ansley publicized Ezra’s disappearance, according to CBS Colorado. Ansley said people circulated alerts, watched parks and offered to print flyers as the search spread across neighborhoods. (kdvr.com) Facebook posts became part of the trail. Ansley told KDVR that police found the woman posting pictures of Ezra on Facebook in the days after the theft. That detail, combined with tips from the public and the earlier surveillance footage, helped police track the woman and the dog, according to Ansley’s account. (cbsnews.com) ### When was Ezra recovered? Wednesday was the day Ansley said police called to tell her they had been tracking the woman and the dog. She told KDVR that officers were following the woman and arrested her when they saw her outside with Ezra. PawBoost, which carried Ansley’s lost-dog notice, later marked Ezra as reunited after 3 days and 23 hours. (kdvr.com) In a message posted there, Ansley said police found the woman who stole her dog and that she had picked Ezra up from the police station. ### What did Ansley say after the reunion? (kdvr.com) Ansley told KDVR she cried as soon as she saw Ezra at the station and recognized him immediately. She posted video of the reunion, and told the station that after returning home the pair spent seven hours on the couch cuddling. (pawboost.com) “The community here is incredible,” Ansley told KDVR, thanking people who texted her, watched parks and passed out flyers. She said she had moved to Denver about 10 months earlier and had not expected that level of support. ### What do police say now? (kdvr.com) Denver police told CBS Colorado earlier in the case that dog theft remains a recurring problem in the city, with an average of 74 dogs reported stolen each year over the last five years. CBS later updated that report to say Ezra had been reunited with his owner a few days afterward. (kdvr.com) The next step is the police investigation. Denver police have said they are still investigating the case, and earlier asked anyone with potentially helpful information to contact them. (cbsnews.com)