A stolen truck with a dog inside. A plea for help on Facebook. A chase down Highway 290.
Much to the gratitude of dog-owner, pet-lover and Dripping Springs resident Ashley Major, the entire ordeal concluded with a happy ending.
On Thursday, Jan. 6, around 6:30 p.m., Major's husband was preparing to fill up at a 7/11 gas station off of Highway 290 when his truck, a black Ford F-250, was stolen. The couple’s Boston Terrier, Oscar, was still in the vehicle when three individuals, two males and one female, jumped in the truck and drove away — car, keys, dog and all, according to Major. A gun was also locked in the center console of the vehicle.
“My husband was on his way home from work, and he takes the dog with him a lot,” she explained. “ He walked in to grab a drink and walked back out to watch his truck pull out of the parking lot, headed down 290 towards Austin.”
“So, I raced over there, driving like a madwoman driving down 290, trying to see if the thief had stopped somewhere,” she continued. “The truck still needed gas, so he had to stop at some point.”
At 6:43 p.m., Major put out a call for help on Facebook, posting in the Dripping Springs Neighbors group about “a stolen truck with [a] dog inside.”
At 6:45 p.m., the Hays County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase when they received the report about the stolen vehicle and pet. Due to the incident’s proximity to the county line, Travis County was notified and the Austin Police Department was called in to take over, said Hays County Deputy Mark Andrews, PIO.
With help from a Ford tracking app, Major and the assisting officers were able to locate the truck when it stopped at another 7/11, confirmed by a worker at that location. By that time, only one male of the initial three individuals remained in the stolen vehicle.
“Police pulled in as they pulled out, and that’s what started the high-speed chase,” Major said. “Officers chased the truck down West Breaker Lane headed towards Mopac, and then onto Mopac… [the guy in the truck] finally ended up at a Fairfield Inn, where he jumped out and ran into the woods.”
The suspect was soon apprehended, and the vehicle was returned without a scratch. However, the dog and the gun were both gone.
The suspect admitted to dumping Oscar at a Valero, and officers were able to track the dog as far as a Valero gas station in Dripping Springs.
At 11:17 p.m., Major posted in the Facebook group again.
“Anyone live near here and has a box of treats?” she wrote. “Please shake the box outside and yell for PIG he will hear it!! I’m begging you!! It’s so cold he’s never outside this long.”
It wasn’t until the next morning that her post came to good use.
Major received a call from Amy Rankin-Tondre around 7 a.m. that her father, Don Rankin, had a dog jump into his black pickup truck. Rankin-Tondre had seen Major’s post the previous evening, and she recognized Oscar almost immediately.
Oscar finally returned to his owners after 12 hours out in the cold, and Major quickly shared the good news with her online community.
“Thank you to everyone who helped bring him back home!” she wrote. “This community is so amazing, and I’m blessed to be here with all of you. Even though this was a terrible situation, we brought both the truck and the dog home.”
