Dog Allegedly Stolen from Canada and Smuggled 2,000 Miles to Wyoming Reunites with His Family

Police found the missing pup during a routine traffic stop and took him in for a few days as they set up transportation for him to return home

A dog from Canada has found his way back home after allegedly being smuggled to Wyoming, over 2,000 miles from his family.

The miniature poodle named Teddy reunited with his owner on Friday, Aug. 9 — nearly a year after he was allegedly stolen from his owner's home in Ottawa, Canada, Wyoming's Riverton Police Department shared on social media.

In a YouTube video shared by police, the dog's owner, Alaina Tripp, claims Teddy — her beloved puppy whom she was training to become a service dog — was kidnapped while she was at work in September 2023.

"Everyone assumed Teddy was lost forever," the video adds. "It seemed impossible Teddy would ever be recovered and come home."

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The video notes that "ten months later," a "miracle happened" when the alleged thief ran a red light and was stopped by police in Riverton, Wyoming, with Teddy in the car nearly 2,000 miles away from the dog's home in Ottawa.

The police department told the Cowboy State Daily and Wyoming Tribune Eagle that police officer Don Nethicumara stopped the car during a routine traffic stop and noticed meth and the miniature poodle in the car.

The stop led the police officer to discover that the driver had a non-extraditable warrant out of Canada for allegedly taking the pup. The driver was cited on charges of meth possession and misdemeanor theft, per the Cowboy State Daily.

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The Riverton Police Department took in the dog for a few days since the local animal shelter was temporarily closed for an event. The police department shared adorable videos of staff members playing with Teddy while he was in their care.

In one video, a sergeant at the police station helps the canine chase a toy, while in another, Teddy appears to run around the office while getting head pats from the department's captain.

The Riverton Police Department cared for the pup until Teddy could make his way back home to Tripp, who was "so shocked" to learn her dog was alive and well, she told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

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The Riverton Police Department shared on Aug. 2 that Teddy was preparing to fly the dog back home to his owner in Canada.

"This has been quite the ordeal for this little dog, but he is thriving!" the agency wrote. "Teddy has had a grooming for his flight back home… The outreach of support has been amazing and we r so thankful for that!"

On Aug. 13, the department confirmed in a Facebook post that Teddy arrived in Canada on Aug. 9 to reunite with his family.

Tripp's YouTube video, which the Riverton Police Department shared in the post, includes a clip of her emotional reunion with Teddy. In the clip, Tripp takes Teddy out of his cage and holds him in her arms. She pets him and offers him kisses.

Tripp is grateful to all the people who helped Teddy return home and shared a special shout-out with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

"A particular thanks to Officer Don [Nethicumara]," she told the outlet. "The world needs to know that there are still good people in it, and Riverton seems to be a town full of such good people."

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