A dog was stolen by a car thief in Mission a week ago. A pet detective brought her home

A dognapping in Mission that captivated social media users across the Kansas City area last week was partially solved on Sunday with the return of Maybel, a 10-year-old Boston terrier, to her owner.

All it took was a metro-wide search, a $1,000 cash reward and a pet detective.

Maybel returned home after an anonymous resident contacted an Overland Park man with a Facebook page helping owners reunite with their lost pets, to let him know they found the stolen dog in the yard of their Westport home, said Major Kirk Lane, a spokesman with the Mission Police Department.

The chain of events began last Monday when Liz Robison, Maybel’s owner, left the dog in the car while she ran in to a Mission Hy-Vee on Martway Street to ask about her prescription. She said she left the air conditioning on, brought her key fob with her and thought she locked the doors.

When Robison returned, her car — and Maybel — were gone.

She reported the theft to Mission police, who said there had been a string of other calls from a nearby Target and post office in a short time span. They believed the calls were related.

The vehicle was later recovered in Kansas City near the 3500 block of Broadway Boulevard around 10 p.m., police said. And police had a suspect. Mission police are searching for Timothy J. Best as a suspect in the theft of the car and the dog. Best has a felony warrant out for his arrest in Johnson County, Lane said.

But Maybel was still missing.

Pet detective

A worker at the Hy-Vee helped Robison get in touch with Glenn Golden, a self-described pet detective who has helped locals reunite with their lost pets for years through a Facebook page with over 23,000 members.

“She was reaching out because I’m a bubbling mess,” Robison said. “I’m on the Hy-Vee floor crying because my dog, the love of my life, is gone, and I’m beating myself up over making a poor decision.”

Robison said she sent Golden pictures and information about Maybel, and he posted everything on the Facebook page. Members then sent the information to neighborhood watch groups around the area.

An outpouring of support from social media followed, with people reaching out to tell Robison they would help find Maybel. She and Golden worked to get fliers with Golden’s contact information hung up around the Kansas City area.

By Thursday, Robison wanted to add more incentive for people to send information on Maybel. She asked, and Golden agreed, that she could offer a $1,000 reward for anyone who found the dog.

Robison said Golden received a message Sunday morning from someone who said they knew where Maybel was and would try to get her and return her to Robison.

Golden coordinated a meet-up spot and time with the person, who wanted to remain anonymous, in a public place with surveillance.

Robison came to the exchange with Golden and some friends. She said the anonymous people had brought Maybel in a Dollar General shopping basket and a blanket, and Golden gave them the money.

Back home

Robison said when she brought Maybel back to the car and then inside her home, the dog didn’t try to get out of the basket.

Maybel was dirty and needed a bath. She woke up throughout the night and seemed disoriented, Robison said.

“It was very sad ... She wasn’t even happy to see me,” Robison said.

When she pet Maybel Sunday night, Robison said she could feel her bones. It was also noticeable the dog had lost weight when an old harness she had outgrown fit loosely.

“I don’t think that they harmed her,” she said. “I just think that she was so freaked out that she didn’t eat.”

Robison plans to take Maybel to the veterinarian Tuesday and make sure there aren’t other problems. Since her first night home, Robison said Maybel has been acting more like herself, and she hopes she’ll be OK soon.

After what happened, Robison said she encourages others to think twice before bringing pets with them to run errands or leaving them in the car.

She also said pet owners who have micro-chipped their pets should make sure their information is up-to-date before their animal goes missing.

“I still hold a lot of guilt,” Robison said. “Because, unfortunately, Maybel had to pay for my mistake.”