While Johannes’ little brother is on holiday in Thailand, she and his brother’s girlfriend will look after his dog. On Friday around 9.45pm, the brother’s girlfriend went into a grocery store in Kampen in Oslo, while the dog, the black Labrador Cai (1) waited outside. – She was in the shop for just a few minutes, but when she came out again the dog was gone, says Johanne. She and her father immediately got into the car and drove around Oslo looking for the dog, while her brother in Thailand felt quite helpless. – There were fewer and fewer people in the streets, and it was completely dark outside, so when the clock approached midnight we ended the search, says Johanne, who does not want to give her last name. Avisa Oslo has also covered this case. The dog Cai (1). Photo: Privat Dag Gladmann Sørheim was about to go to bed, but checked Facebook shortly after Johanne had posted that the dog Cai had disappeared without a trace. When he saw the missing person report, he wanted to help. – I’m not a dog lover, but I thought that probably not many people had seen the post, because it was so late. So I wanted to contribute, says Sørheim. He jumped on his bike and started the search. – I checked all the streets and neighbourhoods, and asked taxi drivers and passers-by if they had seen the dog. But I didn’t find it. Dag Gladmann Sørheim thinks it is important to help others. Photo: Stefan K Skår Became suspicious Suddenly he sees a lady with a black dog. He asks her if she has seen the missing dog Cai, but she says that she has not observed it. – I think she seemed credible so I kept looking, says Sørheim. A little while later he meets another man who also happens to be looking for the dog. The man asks if Sørheim is absolutely sure that the black dog was not Cai. – I wasn’t sure of that. So I cycled like crazy back to where I had hit the lady. But she wasn’t there. He then cycles to Ensjø subway station in search of the lady with the dog. Suddenly he bumps into her, around fifteen minutes after he last saw her. – I take a sneaky picture of the dog and send it to Johanne. She immediately replies: “It is him”. Message log between Johanne and Dag on the night of Saturday. Photo: Private Sørheim is unsure whether it is wishful thinking on Joahnne’s part – the picture was, after all, quite blurry. – I asked if I could look at the collar, but I wasn’t allowed to. The lady exclaimed that it was her dog. Then I became suspicious. Reunion He decided to stay with the lady until Johanne was in place. Eight minutes later, at 01:11, Johanne arrived. – I took the chance that she was right. As soon as the dog saw Johanne, he ran towards her. Johanne says it was a great pleasure to see each other again. – It was like winning the lottery. I cried a few tears, she says. The dog Cai (1) is doing well now. Photo: Privat A confrontation ensued with the woman who had the dog, who continued to claim that Cai was hers. Johanne called the police, who allegedly said that it was not an emergency and that the police could therefore not prioritize moving out. The police confirm that she called in, but did not have the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to answer what assessments were made in connection with the case. – This is not a bicycle theft. This is a theft of a pet – man’s best friend. It is unfortunate that they could not come, says Sørheim, who believes that the police should have had more resources, so that they would have been able to prioritize such incidents. I have learned that Johanne was at the police station on Saturday to report the case. – I understand that the police have a lot to do on the night of Saturday. But it’s not okay for people to just bring a dog with them, she says. Section 5 of the Dogs Act states that it is forbidden to leave dogs outside, for example, a shop. Dog owners are not allowed to leave a leashed dog directly at the entrance to a building open to the public or at playgrounds. – Although it is not permitted to put a dog down, that does not excuse the fact that the dog has been stolen. It could have happened to anyone. Now we have learned. We will never leave the dog outside a shop again, says Johanne.
ttn-69
