Video Shows Masked Thief Stealing Dog From San Rafael Driveway

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The dog's owner said he was found Tuesday wandering the streets after she shared home security video showing a masked person walking up a San Rafael driveway, opening a gate and taking a 12-year-old golden retriever.

Wesley was taken from his owner's home around 3:55 p.m. Sunday on Prospect Drive near Grand Avenue in the Lincoln Hill neighborhood, according to owner Cindy Pickens and a Nextdoor post.

At around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Pickens told Patch her dog had been found around 8:30 p.m. with no collar wandering the streets of Novato, and somebody had recognized him from the Nextdoor post.

Pickens told Patch that video from her home security camera shows the dognapper heading up her driveway to take Wesley from a gated area and leading him away.

The person was dressed in a black hoodie, jeans, a hat, mask and gloves, according to the neighborhood post. He also carried a leash.

Wesley is a red golden retriever who Pickens described as playful and friendly.

“He loves people,” she told Patch.

Pickens said she filed a police report and that officers had spoken with several neighbors and requested security-camera footage. She said one neighbor was working to obtain additional footage.

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Pickens, who said she was born and raised in the neighborhood, described the incident as unusual for the typically quiet area.

She told Patch she spent Tuesday searching for Wesley.

“I spent all day looking for him and putting flyers on people's mailboxes and talking to people," Pickens said. "I went all over the place trying to figure out if anybody had camera footage.”

She said community members have shared the video and offered help.

Residents near Prospect Drive and Grand Avenue are being asked to review doorbell and security-camera footage from about 3:30 to 4:10 p.m. Sunday for images of the man or a vehicle he may have used.

Wesley is not microchipped, according to the neighborhood post.

Anyone with information about Wesley or the incident is encouraged to contact San Rafael police.