Woman who turned in reportedly stolen donkeys says she bought them from man she met on OfferUp
Feb 5, 2025, 3:10 PM | Updated: 3:24 pm
These two donkeys were allegedly stolen from Bellevue and were found in Fall City. (Photo courtesy of the Bellevue Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of the Bellevue Police Department)
The saga of two donkeys who were reportedly stolen from a property in Bellevue continues.
A Tuesday news release from the Bellevue Police Department confirmed the donkeys had been found alive in Fall City. But what happened?
Allison Dady Smith, the owner of the donkeys, told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio Wednesday that the woman who turned in the animals had no idea they were stolen when she bought them. According to Dady Smith, the man who allegedly stole the donkeys sold them to the woman.
“She innocently bought my horse trailer and both donkeys off of this sick f*** who stole them and somehow convinced her that they were a legitimate sale,” she shared.
Dady Smith claimed the man did not list the trailer and donkeys online anywhere but had previously connected with the woman through OfferUp for a different reason. She said he then convinced the woman he was trustworthy and that he had a trailer and two donkeys he didn’t need anymore. The woman told Dady Smith the man asked for $10,000 and she ended up paying him $5,000.
Dady Smith also shared that the woman has a home in Fall City but does not have the proper arrangement for animals with hooves.
“She has a backyard with no shelter and a couple of chickens, and she thought she could feed them wet, moldy straw, not even hay,” she said.
However, Dady Smith said she’s going to try to help the woman get her money back.
“She’s not full of money,” she shared. “I mean, her kids pulled their bank savings, their piggy banks. They wanted these donkeys so bad, they’re devastated. I mean, the kids were crying when we, I mean the whole f****** thing is an absolute nightmare that I can’t believe this single person could disrupt the lives, impact greatly negatively so many people and I don’t believe this was targeting to me.”
Background of investigation into reportedly stolen donkeys
Officers stated, via the release, that around 1 p.m. Tuesday, a good Samaritan contacted police to confirm the donkeys matching the description of Juan and Julio were found alive in Fall City.
BPD had previously posted on social media asking the public to keep a lookout for a pair of donkeys that went missing.
Have you seen these donkeys, Juan (right) and Julio (left)?
They were last seen in this trailer at approx. 2:05p today. A dark gray truck was pulling them north on 156th Ave and away from NE 24th Street toward Redmond.
Please call 425-577-5656 if you have more information. pic.twitter.com/FfXgR1NwVn
— The Bellevue Police Department (WA) (@BvuePD) February 2, 2025
The two donkeys, Juan and Julio, were last seen at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday, according to BPD officers, when the trailer they were in was allegedly stolen.
Owner shares moments she found out donkeys were missing
“We have a very private driveway that’s up off of the main road in a very secluded, private neighborhood and the homeowner actually saw the horse trailer and the donkeys being sort of hurriedly loaded up, and then she saw a male jump into the driver’s seat and literally speed off with the trailer,” Dady Smith told “Jake and Spike” Monday. “So whoever this is, is a man brought his truck, hooked up to my horse trailer, brought the trailer down, brings my donkeys down from the barn and loads them up and takes off.”
More WA news: Vehicle fire shuts down multiple streets in Issaquah
Dady Smith said the homeowner then called her and asked if she had taken off with the donkeys, to which she said no, as she was at Crystal Mountain.
“I said, ‘Please run up and check to see if my horse trailer is there.’ And she said,’ No, the trailer is gone.’ So we just went into full-throttle panic at that moment and called 911, and just started the ball rolling to get the word out,” Dady Smith explained.
The dark gray truck was seen pulling them north on 156th Avenue, away from Northeast 24th Street toward Redmond.
Donkeys are companions for owner’s horse, who is ‘freaking out’
Dady Smith told “Jake and Spike” Juan is the plain gray donkey, while Julio is a bit smaller and is spotted with gray spots.
She added that the animals came into her life for an important reason.
“They’re mid-teens. I rescued them a couple years ago. They came into our life to be companions to my horse. So they’re his emotional support animals and that’s, kind of part of the big issue right now is they’re gone and he’s freaking out,” Dady Smith shared.
Owner shares strong message for alleged thief
She also had a clear message for whoever allegedly stole them.
“Bring me my donkeys back, and I will buy you f****** donkeys of your own,” she remarked. “You do not steal other people’s animals, period. This person is high on meth or high on cocaine and f***** in the head. I mean, you do not drive onto someone’s property, hook up to their f****** trailer and then steal their f****** damn donkeys. What the f*** is wrong with you? And you hope that I never see your f****** face because I will probably rip it right f**** the off.”
Officers are still investigating.
“The investigation into this incident is ongoing,” BPD wrote in the news release. “Any additional information about this case will be published via the Bellevue Beat Blog.”
More on Bellevue animals: “Infamous” Bellevue cat wins large settlement due to conflict of interest
This story was originally published on February 3, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest
Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.
Listen to “Jake and Spike” weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
