Edinburgh resident Shannon McFarlane had leashed her 2 dogs outside a shop while running a few errands at night.
She was barely gone for a few minutes but was in for a major shock when she returned. Someone had stolen her brown Bullmastiff dog named Zuma, while the other dog was still tied up.
Shannon and her family were devastated at the dog theft, especially because leaving dogs outside shops was common in their neighborhood.
They immediately contacted the police and reached out to the community to keep an eye out for Zuma. However, the entire night passed and there was just no trace of the pooch.
The family had had Zuma since she was a 5-week-old puppy, and they couldn’t bear the thought of a life without her.
But the very next morning, they found hope upon retrieving the shop security footage that captured the dognapping incident.
As per the footage, a woman (later identified as Stephy N Hazlett) exploited Zuma’s naive trusting ways and whisked her away into the crowd.
Once the community learned of this development, they launched a massive social media crusade to track down Stephy. After an intense 19-hour operation, they located the woman’s residence where Zuma was hidden away.
Zuma was rescued with the help of the cops, while Stephy, who is said to suffer from a mental illness, was dealt with in accordance to the law by the authorities.
Zuma was relieved to finally reunite with her anxious family. She adorably snuggled up to her favorite blanket and dozed off in peace, feeling safe!
As for the McFarlanes, they are grateful to the community for their tireless efforts to bring their baby back home. They have particularly praised the power of social media that was instrumental in establishing the crucial flow of communication!
