A family in Northern Hollywood was expecting to celebrate the holidays with their beloved French bulldog, Domino, as it could have been the last Christmas of the 12-year-old dog. Unfortunately, with just days left for Christmas, their dog was stolen from their home's yard on December 10, 2024, at around 7.43 p.m., by a masked woman.
The dog owner, Jason Bitonio, hopes to get reunited with his dog soon. According to reports, the family has reported the theft to the LAPD and posted flyers asking for help from people in case they spot the dog.
According to NBC Los Angeles, citing Bitonio, the dog is old and requires special medical attention due to his medical conditions and they even fear that this may be his last Christmas. He further added,
"So he’s been with us for a long time and [been] a part of our family forever."
The dog is described as primarily white, but the dog's face has a black mask-like appearance, he has black, lopsided ears; there is also a tear-shaped black mark on his left side.
Details of the kidnap of the French bulldog in California
According to reports, on December 10, at around 7:43 p.m. local time, the dog was kidnapped from Jason Bitonio's house. According to reports, the French bulldog, Domino, went outside via the dog door and alter when the owner went to check on him he could not be found. Initially, the family thought they might have left the door/gate open causing the dog to wander off.
Later, when Bitonio checked the ring camera, he realized this was a case of dog kidnapping. In the ring camera footage, a woman wearing a grey sweatshirt, cap, and black mask trespassed into the family's backyard and stole the dog from its doghouse, People Reports.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the owner Bitonio believes there are two women involved in the kidnapping of his French bulldog, even though only one was caught on the video. He also raised the suspicion that a woman stalking his home 20 minutes before the kidnapping.
According to Jason Botinio, one of the hardest parts about the kidnapping is that he had to break the news to his five-year-old son, who grew up with the dog. According to People Magazine,
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"I just told him, 'You know, Domino’s gone. Some bad people came and they took him, and we may never see him again,' (...)Tears came down. He's like, 'What do you mean he's gone? What do you mean he's not coming back?"
According to The New York Times, French bulldogs are one of the breeds in high demand in the U.S. market, and they are sold, especially the puppies, for large amounts of money.
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