Service dog reunited with blind owner two months after being stolen from Chicago backyard

A loyal service dog has been reunited with its owner nearly three months after being stolen from a backyard in Chicago, officials say.

Bam Bam, the 14-year-old tan and white Dachshund, was stolen from the yard in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago on June 5, according to a GoFundMe created to help find him.

His owner, Angel Santiago, who is legally blind due to glaucoma, spent days walking miles and handing out flyers with the hope of finding his beloved friend and aid.

Santiago told police that two unknown people entered through his gate and took the canine. Although he heard the disturbance and even grabbed one of the suspects in an attempt to stop him, the men were able to get away with Bam Bam. He believes the suspect he grabbed sounded like a teenager. Santiago said that he could hear Bam Bam barking as the men ran away with him.

“Let your eyes be mine and look out for Bam Bam for me, please. I beg of you to help me,” he wrote in a desperate plea on the fundraiser.

The GoFundMe totalled almost $20,000 as concerned citizens looked to support the cause.

A Facebook Page set up for the search effort led several flyer events, petitions, and meetups in the city to help find the dog.

On August 12, a post read: “We are incredibly grateful to be working with an amazing group of volunteers who are organizing walking routes and flyering to reach local residents who may not have heard Angel and Bam Bam’s story.|

Thankfully, after nearly three months of desperate searching, Bam Bam was found.

On Tuesday evening, Chicago police said an unidentified man and woman dropped off a white-and-yellow dachshund mix at the 16th District police station.

Police quickly confirmed the animal to be Bam Bam.

Santiago, who is both blind and has Type 2 diabetes, rushed to the station to be reunited with Bam Bam, say police.

The dog was reportedly in good health when it was recovered, police said.

As it stands, no arrests have been made.

A team of detectives is continuing to investigate the circumstances of how the dog ended up at the station.

The pair who dropped off Bam Bam refused to hand over any information to the police before leaving, according to authorities.