Vango, an Australian shepherd, may have played a crucial role in his own rescue by alerting staff at a pet store in Gatineau, Quebec, about his suspected abduction. Yves Jodoin, a canine trainer and employee at Au Royaume des Animaux, recounted that Vango was brought to the store on Monday by a couple who usually purchased cat food there.
Jodoin noted that Vango was barking and persistently seeking attention, which raised his concerns. The couple seemed unsure about basic details about the dog, such as his age, whether he had been neutered, his diet, and the cost they had paid for him.
Jodoin mentioned that they were evasive when asked these questions. Despite giving the dog biscuits, Vango continued to bark and nudge him, as if trying to communicate that he wasn’t the pet the couple claimed him to be.
When a coworker checked social media for stolen pet reports, an image of Vango was found. The dog had been reported missing from Buckingham, Quebec, about two and a half hours earlier. Jodoin recognized Vango immediately, as he had raised the dog since he was a puppy.
“I called out, ‘Vango, come!’ and the dog responded by jumping excitedly,” Jodoin recalled. Vango’s continued nudging and barking seemed to say, “I’m not the dog they claim I am.”
The couple had told Jodoin they found Vango in the woods and intended to keep him as an emotional support animal due to the woman’s health issues and financial constraints. Despite the crowd of onlookers at the store, Jodoin insisted that the couple relinquish the dog. Vango’s rightful owner, Josée Francoeur, was then contacted.
Francoeur, deeply emotional, said, “I can’t talk about it without crying.” She reported Vango missing on Monday morning after letting him out into her enclosed yard, only to find him gone. As Vango was not microchipped, Francoeur was devastated and wondered if he had been stolen. She posted missing pet alerts on social media and the local SPCA website and walked through her neighborhood asking if anyone had seen her dog. A police officer later helped her file a formal missing dog report, but Francoeur’s hope was waning until her phone rang.
“If those people hadn’t gone to that pet store, I would have lost my dog forever,” Francoeur said.
She has now reported the couple to the police, emphasizing the seriousness of their actions. “I don’t want to make them uncomfortable. We don’t know what motivated them, but they took my puppy,” Francoeur added. She wants to warn others against similar behavior.
Gatineau police stated they need to prove that the couple knowingly stole the puppy rather than finding him by accident before pressing charges. The SPCA de L’Outaouais, where the couple had taken Vango earlier that day to register him under a new name, is using this incident to advocate for microchipping pets.
Francoeur mentioned she had planned to have Vango microchipped, saying, “This could have all been avoided.”
