Bam Bam is home.
The 14-year-old Dachshund captured the hearts and minds around the globe after he’d been reported stolen in June from his Logan Square owner, Angel Santiago. Santiago is legally blind due to glaucoma and relied on Bam Bam as a service dog.
The pair was reunited Tuesday night, police said, after a man and woman dropped Bam Bam off at Chicago Police’s 16th District station. Officers said the dog appeared in good health. Detectives are still investigating the theft, and no one is in custody.
Santiago told the Tribune Wednesday morning he thanked God for being reunited with his beloved Bam Bam.
“I prayed every day and night,” he said.
Bam Bam was reportedly stolen from Santiago’s yard on June 5, according to a GoFundMe created to help raise funds for Bam Bam’s search. The news of the theft went viral on social media, and Santiago told the Tribune he’d received calls of support from as far away as Spain and New Zealand.
Santiago walked several miles a day looking for his dog.
“No matter how many times I fall … I always get up,” Santiago said, kissing Bam Bam on the neck.
Michael Davis, who runs Best Furry Friend Pet Rescue and Discovery based in McHenry County, said it’s “miraculous” that after more than two months, Santiago and Bam Bam were able to reunite. In many cases, lost or stolen pets never make it back to their owners, Davis said.
The first 24 hours are most critical after a dog goes missing, he said. The longer pets are separated from their owners, the more likely they are to enter “survival mode,” rendering them more skittish and less likely to interact with people.
Stolen pet cases like Bam Bam’s are a “whole different scenario” from lost pets because of human involvement, Davis said. People steal dogs for a myriad of reasons, including to resell or use as bait in fighting rings. That means stolen dogs can end up in farther and less predictable places than lost ones, Davis added.
Still, in both situations, it’s important to get the word out fast, both online and around the neighborhood.
“Everybody was looking for that dog at that point,” Davis said. “If anybody thought they could hold onto that dog and not have a friend, family member, a neighbor spot it and make a call, they would be naive. This was the best thing that could’ve happened, to have it posted all over the news.”
By Wednesday afternoon, Bam Bam was at the Niles Animal Hospital to be assessed.
The pooch is “really skinny,” Santiago said as veterinarians looked over the dog. Bam Bam’s nails were also overgrown when the two reunited Tuesday night.
Santiago said he’s worried about his dog’s psychological health. Bam Bam isn’t as “spunky” as he was before and seems to be having trouble sleeping with the lights off, Santiago said.
“It was a really rough night,” Santiago said.
Nonetheless, Santiago said he’s grateful to people from around the world who supported his search for Bam Bam. That includes the two people who dropped Santiago’s companion off at the police station Tuesday, whom he said he hopes to meet someday.
“Bam Bam is my world,” Santiago said. “He is my lifesaver. I just wish I could hug everybody who thought of Bam Bam.”
