Service dog returned to owner after being stolen and disguised
By Cristiana Ramos
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PHOENIX (KPHO) — Anthony Graziani and his 3-year-old white Bull Terrier, Daisy, are inseparable. “She’s not only my service dog, she’s my best friend,” said Graziani.
On Sept. 8, Graziani faced his worst fear when Daisy was stolen from his girlfriend at a Fry’s Food Store. He says his girlfriend fell asleep and had the dog leashed to her ankle. When she woke up, her belongings and Daisy were missing.
Graziani posted the incident on social media and called the microchip company, which sent out missing fliers of Daisy. A QT worker posted online about a found dog who Graziani claimed was Daisy. When Graziani reached out to the QT worker to get his dog back, he said, “she gave the dog to a coworker.” The woman stopped responding, so Graziani filed a police report. Phoenix police, QT Corporate, and animal advocates helped get Daisy back home. Finally, Daisy and Graziani were in each other’s arms after two long weeks. “She jumped on me, and I knew it was Daisy,” he said.
During the reunion, Graziani noticed something was wrong with Daisy. She looked different from her usual white fur. “The spots, I was kind of floored when we got her back and I saw that,” Graziani said. The thief used black dye to disguise her. One of her ears was entirely black, and her belly had spots on it. “I’m very shocked and offended that anybody would even go through those lengths to mask or hide something that belongs to somebody else,” says Graziani.
Daisy also had hives all over her body because she wasn’t being fed her prescription diet. She will be okay, but Graziani says he doesn’t want anybody to go through what they did and hopes their story helps other dog owners.
Since being back home, Daisy hasn’t left Graziani’s side. “She’s going to be here with us for a while.”
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