Deaf dog stolen in Alabama found a year later in Maricopa

A deaf dog stolen from a home in Alabama was found safely in Maricopa Thursday. 

The sheep dog named Rags was dognapped Dec. 8, 2023, from owner Olivia Gardner’s home in Silverhill, Ala., near the Gulf Coast, according to her GoFundMe. 

Silverhill police officers contacted Maricopa Police Department after they got a tip that Rags was in Arizona. The tip led Sgts. Chance Jordan and Kevin Mellor and Det. Joe Ramos to find the pooch at a Rancho El Dorado home on the 22000 block of Mulligan Drive. 

The alleged dognappers told the cops they were fostering the dog on behalf of a friend, and referred to the pet with a fake name, but microchip verification and photo comparisons confirmed it was Rags, according to MPD. 

Rags was said to have been caught up in a custody battle between Gardner and the dogs’ previous owners around the time a masked dog thief was seen on Gardner’s Ring Doorbell camera abducting him, according to a report by Arizona’s Family. 

Gardner will be traveling to Arizona to be reunited with Rags, an MPD spokesperson told InMaricopa. The Silverhill Police Department will continue their investigation and determine potential charges against the suspects. 

InMaricopa has contacted Gardner for an interview.