MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A dog stolen from a disabled veteran’s truck outside the Memphis VA Medical Center on June 1 was found in the Nashville area Friday.
Last week, WREG reported Clifton Dates left his pomeranian name Chan inside his vehicle with the windows down, and when he came outside, the dog was gone.
Memphis police told him the dog might have been removed from the truck by a Good Samaritan for its own safety.
Dates’ wife said Friday her husband received a call from a woman in Franklin who believed she had the missing dog.
“She said someone gave the dog to her. They rescued the dog from the VA in Memphis from a hot car,” said Joanne Dates. “I’m sure someone saw it on the news.”
She said the woman told her husband she didn’t want to be involved in what happened at the VA hospital and took the dog to the police department. Joanne said her husband drove straight to Franklin to pick up his dog.
“He got home at 4 a.m.,” said Joanne Dates. “He’s just happy he got his dog back,” she said. “He is so happy!”
Memphis Animal Services said never leave a pet inside a vehicle when it is hot outside. Dates said it was 83 degrees outside at the time.
“There are no words to express how much I missed this dog,” Clifton Dates said. “He’s my best friend. And he is specially designed in his training to keep me calm when I kind of stray off a little bit.”
Chan helps calm Dates, who suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Dates also said he does not plan to press charges if police tracks down the person who removed Chan.
