Mystery Man Steals, Returns Dog To Seal Beach Animal Shelter

SEAL BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A mystery man was caught on camera stealing a dog and then later returning it to a Seal Beach animal shelter.

Volunteers at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center said an unidentified man showed up Monday afternoon and said that his dog was put down as a result of cancer and he desperately needed to adopt a replacement.

The man said his dog looked similar to the shelter's 2-year-old terrier named Kane.

"He (worked at) a boatyard or a shipyard. (He said) the workers there would be so distraught without a dog, so he needed to go back with a dog. (The dog) would go to work with him," said volunteer Jane Parnes.

After the man took Kane outside, they both disappeared.

"I feared for her safety all night," said Parnes.

Volunteer Sharman Snow said, "It was such a frightening experience because in my experience people only steal dogs to create pain."

Workers launched a search for Kane through Facebook and a pet Amber Alert system.

They put a cage outside the shelter with the sign, "Kane's Return...No Questions Asked", in hopes the dog thief would have a change of heart.

Cameras caught the suspect returning the terrier to the shelter sometime between 10 p.m. Monday and 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Although Kane is back and ready to be adopted, the shelter's policy is being revamped with regards to how clients interact with the dogs.