Watch CBS News

'It's A Miracle': Dog Reunited With Owner After Thief Steals Car In Braintree

BOSTON (CBS) - One very, very happy dog was reunited with owner Dan O'Brien Tuesday afternoon, ending a crazy ordeal. "It's a miracle," O'Brien said.

It began in less than miraculous fashion when Dan dropped his other dog off at a Braintree vet and left his car running with little Loki inside.

"I turned around and my car was gone, with the little guy in it," O'Brien explained.

Dan O'Brien
Dan O'Brien and Loki (WBZ-TV)

Dan's Ford Explorer and Loki were both stolen, triggering a 90-minute panic as the family feared the worst.

"My kids were going bananas," O'Brien said.

But then came word of a police chase with state troopers converging on Dan's vehicle as it wrecked on a Route 3 exit ramp in Plymouth. Officers pounced on the driver nearby, a guy also suspected of fleeing a hit and run scene in Boston not long before.

"And then the dog wasn't there, so where the heck could he be?" O'Brien said.

Loki
Loki was in a car that was stolen in Braintree (WBZ-TV)

What Dan O'Brien didn't know was that somewhere along the line, the car thief had ditched Loki only to be found safe and sound outside a Somerville motel.

After her roommate found Loki, Kodie Forrest lit up social media, police, and the MSPCA until the connection was made.

"It's nuts I didn't even believe it," Forrest said. "This is just fate and it's all in God's hands. So I think it's really cool."

"There's no way he should have been found," O'Brien said. "I can't believe it."

The dog finders got a $300 reward.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.