A couple from Brooklyn, who are huge dog enthusiasts, joyfully reunited with their French bulldog Coco Chanel on Monday night. This came just hours after a daring group of dog thieves snatched her during a break-in at their home.
Coco’s safe return happened when the armed robbers left her behind in a garage at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Hospital staff recognized her from a news article and took her in.
The couple made their way to Amy O’Sullivan’s home in Staten Island late Monday for an emotional reunion with their two-year-old pup.
“I missed you!” Kevin, one of Coco’s owners, exclaimed while showering her with kisses and pets as she settled down. “I was devastated. My heart was just broken. I thought, thank goodness. The next day felt surreal. It was overwhelming, honestly.”
He expressed gratitude to Ms. O’Sullivan, saying, “I’m so relieved you found her. Every day I come home, I worry about how long it would take to bring her back.”
Coco was taken early Monday morning when four armed intruders burst into the couple’s home in Bushwick, demanding valuables and making off with both the dog and $8,000 worth of Pokémon cards.
A few hours later, Tiffany Lutz, O’Sullivan’s wife and a nurse at the hospital, was informed about a dog spotted in the hospital parking lot after being abandoned by the thieves.
“The hospital worker called me and said, ‘Tiffany, there’s a dog out here,'” O’Sullivan recounted. “I thought, ‘What? Let me grab the dog.’ When I arrived, the pup was right there, so I took her inside. I was able to call my wife and told her to come and get the dog.”
O’Sullivan added, “She saw the article and said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s the dog!'” That’s when everything started coming together.
It was a natural decision for the 62-year-old mother of three, who loves animals and already has five pets, including a French bulldog with special needs.
When Coco first arrived at her home, she wouldn’t eat regular food, so O’Sullivan provided her with tuna and oatmeal until the reunion with her owners could happen.
“This story turns out great, especially since so many times we hear about bad things,” O’Sullivan noted.
As of late Tuesday, the four thieves responsible for the home invasion were still on the loose.
