Rantz: Another Seattle vehicle theft, this time with puppy named Rooster inside

A family fell victim to a common crime in Seattle when their truck was stolen. With few police on the streets and soft-on-crime judges who release prolific criminals without meaningful jail sentences, locals are constantly falling victim to theft. But this truck theft was different. The family’s brand new puppy Rooster was sleeping inside the truck at the time, leaving the family distraught over the theft of their four-legged family member.

George, who lives in Issaquah, was out with his new black Labrador puppy on May 10. He said they went paddle boarding and were “trying to do a bunch of fun things” to bond. Rooster had been a part of the family for only three weeks at the time but they were all in love with him.

Unfortunately, the puppy never made it home that night and he’s still missing. But, according to George, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) isn’t helping with the theft any longer.

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How did the family’s puppy get stolen in Seattle?

George’s family brought Rooster into their lives after their seven-year-old dog Goose died suddenly after an illness. A few months later, a friend of his wife was giving away a dog that looked identical to Goose.

“This dog had the same white patch, was born around the same time that my dog died. It all just felt really good. It was like we were all meant to be together,” George said.

After their paddle-boarding adventure, George went to a restaurant to meet friends in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. He brought Rooster along.

“I had him in the restaurant with me for the whole time. The staff was loving on him … he was having a great time, and eventually just fell asleep,” George exclusively told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Rather than keep waking up Rooster, George took the puppy to his 2005 Chevrolet Silverado so he could sleep more soundly.

When George returned 40 minutes later, the truck was gone. And it would have been obvious to the thieves that a dog was in the car.

“They ended up breaking the windows and stuff. So you know, I don’t think they did know (initially). I think that they would have known right away though,” George said. “So it definitely didn’t stop them or deter them in any way. I don’t think that it was the intention to steal the dog, though, as the main priority.”

A disappointing Seattle Police response to the puppy theft

George called SPD, but he waited four hours for an officer to arrive, but one never did.

“It was a sad experience just having to leave with no closure, no understanding, no anything. I took an Uber late at night, with no car and no dog, home feeling just devastated,” he said.

SPD has been crippled by staffing shortages since the defund movement of 2020, losing over 600 officers. And George felt the pain of an understaffed department, saying there “wasn’t much of an investigation.”

George, his wife, and two young children (11 and 14 years old) plastered Seattle with flyers and contacted veterinarians and shelters. They also drove around Seattle hoping to come across their dog, who had not yet been microchipped, but came up empty.

They found the truck. But did they find Rooster the puppy?

Two weeks later, George’s truck was found abandoned in Burien with windows broken out and the steering column damaged. He got the call and rushed to the scene, but Rooster was nowhere to be found. There was no indication of a struggle or that the puppy was harmed. But what happened next frustrated George.

“Once I got the car, they (SPD) sent me an email saying the case was closed, and they’re not going to do anything more with it,” he explained.

George said the email was “devastating.” A spokesperson for SPD did not respond to requests for comments by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

‘We’re not going to give up’

This has been particularly difficult for his kids to “come home to an empty dog bed again.” To lose Goose and now Rooster is a lot for adults to handle, let alone children.

Even though it’s been nearly a month since the puppy theft, George and his family are still trying to stay positive. He said they will never give up on searching for Rooster. He’s still connecting with local pet shops and veterinarians to see if they’ve been visited by any new customers with a young Labrador puppy.

“We really feel like this is a part of our family so we’re not going to give up. It’s a weird feeling to feel like you have no closure to any of it, too. It’s just it’s an odd feeling of just who knows?” he said.

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