Man gets his dog back

By Mo Cranker on August 25, 2017.

Brad Kuich hugs his dog Belle after being reunited Friday morning. The black-and-white border collie was in his truck Tuesday when it was stolen at the Medicine Hat Mall. Kuich received a call Friday morning from Medicine Hat Police that his truck had been found with the dog still inside. -- NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT

According to the old country music joke, what happens when you play a country song backward? You get your truck back, your dog back and your dignity back. For B.C. resident Brad Kuich that scenario came true when his missing truck and, more importantly, his dog Belle were returned to him safe and sound on Friday.

Two days after being stolen by unknown thieves, Kuich’s truck was discovered unharmed in the South Ridge YMCA parking lot by an attentive passerby. Fortunately, Belle was also inside.

“The truck and the dog were together in the parking lot,” said an overjoyed Kuich on Friday. “I’ve got a big horseshoe, up you know where.”

Kuich said the police dropped off Belle at some friends of his in Medicine Hat, who looked after her until he could make the trip down from Oyen, where he was visiting family, to retrieve her.

“It all worked out pretty darn good,” stated Kuich. “When I opened the door at my friends’ place Belle came running to me and said hello. The first thing she wanted to do was jump into my rental vehicle and go for a drive. I guess she wanted to get the heck out of Medicine Hat.”

Kuich said while Belle may be happy to leave the Gas City behind, he doesn’t feel that way.

“I will definitely come back to Medicine Hat again,” he confirmed. “I think it has been fantastic. A lot of people have been concerned, and there has been great media coverage. I have had total strangers walk up to me and wish me the best. I think it is a good guess to say the people who saw the vehicle put two and two together and phoned the police.”

Inspector Joe West of the Medicine Hat Police Service agreed it was likely the intense media coverage and public interest in the case which led to the happy result.

“I think obviously with the dog being in there people were concerned,” said West. “I think a lot of people had their eye out for the vehicle. I think certainly that played into the dog and the vehicle’s safe return.”

Kuich said he will remember the jubilant moment when he and Belle were reunited for the rest of his life.

“Of course, the big soft heart came out and there were some tears spilled,” recalled Kuich. “I was ecstatic. The emotions just poured out. When you spend a lot of time with a little dog they get attached to you, and you sure get attached to them.”

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