Love for the family dog sparked a tale of betrayal and regret, frustration and desperation this week, ending with the arrest of a Frazier Park woman now accused of burglary.
At the heart of the story is a Belgian Malinois — a breed of dog described by the American Kennel Club on their website as confident, smart and hardworking.
Out of 194 breeds of dogs in America, the Belgian Malinois ranks 47 in popularity. Labrador retrievers rank as the most popular dog in America.
The popularity for one particular brown Belgian Malinois dropped a bit this past week,however, when its owners offered to give it away.
“This was a family situation,” Deputy Josh Stamsek of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said Wednesday.
“One member of the family decided the animal should be given away,” he said.
The family found a homeowner on the 28900 block of Benjie Way in Neenach who wanted and took ownership of the dog on the weekend, Stamsek said.
One woman in the dog’s original family, upon learning of the transfer, was allegedly not pleased with the decision.
“The suspect went to the area where the dog was believed to be,” he said. “She committed burglary to get the dog back.”
Deputies responded to a call for service on Tuesday, Stamsek said, and a short time later were “able to locate the suspect and recover the animal.
“Deputies then took the suspect into custody without incident,” he said, adding “the stolen dog was returned to the owner on Benjie Way.”
Deputies noted in their report that the dog’s new owner had no idea how the woman was able to get into their home and leave with the dog.
“She (the Benjie homeowner) was unaware as to how she (the dognapping suspect) overcame the locking system,” Stamsek said.
The 35-year-old Frazier Park woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony burglary.
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