Elderly service dog Bam Bam reunited with blind owner more than 2 months after being stolen
Bam Bam, whose disappearance went viral online as enraged dog lovers spread the word to help find him, was dropped off at Chicago's 16th District police station by an unidentified man and woman around 8 p.m. Tuesday night — more than two months after the pouch was taken.
3 Bam Bam, a 14-year-old service dog, was safely returned to his legally blind owner more than two months after he was taken.
GoFundMe
Advertisement
After being identified as the viral pup through his microchip, Bam Bam was finally returned to his owner, Angel Santiago, a 58-year-old man who is legally blind due to glaucoma.
Upon their reunion, Santiago held the senior wiener dog close to his chest, peppering the dog's snout with long-awaited kisses.
Bam Bam was snatched from Santiago's yard on June 5, leaving the legally blind man to navigate a world he struggled to see without his little helper leading the way.
Advertisement
Santiago told PETA organizers that he heard two men bust into his yard and scoop up a frantic Bam Bam. He said he tried to intervene the best he could, but that the pair absconded with his beloved pup.
3 Bam Bam was stolen from his owner's backyard on June 5, Angel Santiago said.
GoFundMe
When Santiago wasn't on the street handing out flyers and shouting for his missing dog, he was praying 'every day and night' for Bam Bam, he told the Chicago Tribune.
'No matter how many times I fall…I always get up,' Santiago told the outlet.
Advertisement
Despite his disability, the dedicated dog dad would walk up to seven miles a day in desperate search of Bam Bam.
All his efforts soon paid off as other horrified dog owners took to the internet to help spread the word.
3 Bam Bam was identified through his microchip after he was dropped off at a local police station.
Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation / Facebook
'To the people who took that blind man's dog out of his backyard, I literally hope you never have a good night's sleep ever again. The fact that you went into a blind man's yard and took his best pal, his best companion, his service dog for the last 14 years, you literally deserve to never have a moment of peace,' one TikTok user said through near-tears in a video with more than 800,000 views.
Advertisement
Santiago told the Tribune that he even received calls offering support from other countries like Spain and New Zealand.
PETA was planning on posting billboards in Chicago to help with the search, but Bam Bam was dropped off at the police station mere days before they were set to go up. Because everything was already planned and paid for, the same billboards will still be plastered throughout Chicago, but will have a label clarifying that the dog was already rescued.
It's unclear if the pair that dropped Bam Bam off at the police station played a role in his disappearance.
Detectives are still investigating. No one has been taken into custody.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family of woman who took her own life in skydive tragedy release statement
The family of Jade Damarell has thanked the skydiving community after an inquest found the experienced jumper died by suicide when she did not deploy her parachute. Jade Damarell died on impact after not deploying her main or backup parachute during a skydive over Fleming Field, in Shotton Colliery, on April 27. An inquest into her death held at Crook Coroner's Court on Thursday (August 21) heard the incident took place the morning after her relationship ended with her boyfriend Ben, who she had met "through their shared love of skydiving". The inquest heard Jade was a "very experienced and competent" parachutist, and had skydived six times successfully the day before the incident took place, but on the fatal jump a report from the British Skydiving Association found there was "no attempt" to deploy the parachute. In a statement after the inquest her family said: 'We acknowledge and accept the conclusion of the coroner's inquest into our daughter Jade's death. 'Once again, we express our sincere thanks to all services involved for the care and compassion given. Jade Damarell. (Image: FACEBOOK) 'We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Sky-High Skydiving and the fantastic 'SkyFam' community. 'You meant so much to Jade, and we're incredibly comforted by how admired, respected and deeply loved, she was. 'Jade loved the sport with a passion, and it brought her so much joy. 'Sky-High handled the tragedy and investigation into Jade's death professionally and with compassion that allowed us to all share in our grief. 'So much so, Sky-High Skydiving helped us to celebrate Jade's life with a very fitting tribute and final farewell, ending with Jade's mum, Liz, honouring Jade's memory with a final tandem jump. (Image: FACEBOOK) 'Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person. A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness. 'By speaking openly and without shame, we hope to contribute to a culture where mental ill-health is met with kindness and support, and where people in deep distress, and those around them, feel seen, believed, and able to reach for support without fear of judgment. 'We miss Jade beyond words, but Jade's love, brilliance, courage and light will live on in our family and among all those who knew and loved her. 'Some stars are so bright, they burn through their time too quickly, but their light never truly fades. Read more: GCSE success in Bishop Auckland inspires cheers from British soldiers in Estonia Bishop Auckland schoolgirl celebrates 'brilliant' GCSE results Father and son accused of conspiring to supply cocaine with a third man 'Please respect our family's privacy at this time.' Assistant Coroner for County Durham and Darlington Leslie Hamilton concluded her death as suicide. The family has set up a GoFundMe page in support of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which helps children with critical illnesses.- Samaritans is available, day or night, 365 days of the year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@ or visit to find your nearest branch. - If U Care Share on 0191 387 5661 or text IUCS to 85258 - SANE on 07984 967 708, Calm on 0800 58 58 58
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
A man ripping down anti-Trump signs from a Des Moines overpass sparks charges
A man allegedly captured on video tearing down placards from a Des Moines bridge that had criticized President Donald Trump has been charged with assault and fifth-degree criminal mischief, according to Des Moines Police. Footage of the incident, recorded during rush hour Aug. 12, shows a man crossing from the roadway onto the pedestrian side of the 56th Street overpass above Interstate 235. In the video, the man can be seen ripping the placards off the bridge, each carrying a single letter spelling 'TRUMP = HITLER', that had been fastened to the bridge railing with bungee cords. Police have filed misdemeanor charges against Bradley Jay Nall, 68, in connection with the incident. A person identifying himself as Nall started a GoFundMe page that references the bridge incident and calls for 'SUPPORT FOR PATRIOT STANDING UP FOR TRUMP.' The page had raised $240 from seven donations as of Aug. 20. A video of the altercation protest organizer Heather Ryan posted on social media has since been viewed more than 500,000 times. Ryan told the Des Moines Register that before the incident, the demonstration had been calm. 'We only got six people flipping us the bird. That's pretty darn good,' Ryan said. But tensions escalated when the man, later identified as Nall, approached the protesters, she said. 'He was yelling, 'What are you gonna do? What you gonna do? Who's gonna stop me, huh? Who's gonna stop me?'' she said. 'It was terrifying. … It was like nothing I've ever experienced.' In the video, protestors and the man identified as Nall can be seen shouting back and forth and exchanging curse words. Ryan said social media users and a license plate check helped identify the man, and she and another protestor went to authorities to press charges. In a video she posted Aug. 13, Ryan filmed herself leaving a Des Moines police station holding a case card and saying, 'simple assault charges filed.' She added in the video, 'I did not know until today that if somebody comes up on you aggressive and ready to punch you out, that's assault.' The Register attempted to contact Nall, but a number associated with him had been deactivated. And messages on the GoFundMe site have gone unanswered. The post on GoFundMe says: 'I didn't put my hands on anyone, I took the signs down. I am just an ordinary working man who took a stand against people who want to try to slander President Trump's name and malign him with Adolf Hitler.' In their news release, Des Moines Police said the two people who came forward to press charges reported that Nall "aggressively approached the group with the intent to tear down the signs" before he 'pushed a sign that one victim was holding, striking her in the head.' The department said it is continuing its investigation. 'They're harassing me, my job, and my family as well as completely innocent people who had old phone numbers and addresses of mine because the lunatics were trying to doxx me," the GoFundMe posting said. In a video update posted Aug. 14, Ryan said a detective assigned to the case told her the man had requested a meeting with protestors to apologize. 'He wanted a face-to-face interaction to apologize in exchange for us dropping the charges,' she said. 'But I'm just not interested.' Ryan said the group had displayed similar protest signs on Des Moines bridges before and will continue to protest. Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@ Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
A blind man's support dog went missing. Chicago mobilized to get him back.
A 14-year-old emotional support dog named Bam Bam was reunited with his owner Tuesday night, two months after the dog was reported stolen from his backyard in Chicago. The theft prompted a massive citywide search, a police investigation and a fundraiser that amassed more than $20,000.
