HAYDEN — It was a holiday of heartbreak for the Pehrson family, who say a stranger snatched their dog out of their yard on Christmas Day. 

“It’s been hell and horror and crying and chaos ever since,” Lynn Pehrson said.

Around 4 p.m. Monday, Sindra Pehrson stepped onto the back deck of her home on Lancaster Avenue in Hayden and brought with her Jak, a cairn terrier. She clipped Jak’s collar to the 15-foot leash the family keeps out back, to keep him from straying too far.

Jak suddenly ran around to the right side of the deck. Sindra Pehrson said that when she trailed after the dog to see what had him so excited, she saw a woman in a green and tan coat crawl out from underneath the porch.

The woman held a small plastic baggie filled with sausage and eggs, which she reportedly used to entice the dog. She appeared to be in her 30s with a slim build.

In a flash, the woman allegedly unclipped Jak from his leash, scooped him up and sprinted to the end of the driveway, where a white SUV was waiting.

Barefoot and panicking, Sindra Pehrson gave chase. But the woman and Jak were in the vehicle and speeding away before she could reach them.

“My wife is beside herself,” Lynn Pehrson said. “She keeps blaming herself that it was her fault because she couldn’t run fast enough.”

The Pehrsons reported the incident to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Jak’s disappearance appears to be a one-off; KCSO confirmed Tuesday that the agency has received no recent reports of similar incidents in Hayden.

Since Jak went missing, Lynn Pehrson has spent time circulating flyers with the dog’s photo and checking in with area businesses in case they have security footage that could help identify the alleged thieves.

He’s worried sick about Jak, who is chipped.

“I’m a basket case,” Pehrson said, his voice wavering. “I love my dog more than I love people. I want him back. He’s my best friend.”

Pehrson said he’s unsure why someone would snatch Jak or how long the suspect waited for the dog to come outside. The woman dropped the plastic baggie as she fled with Jak.

“It was just odd that this gal climbed out from under our deck,” he said.

The couple’s daughter bought Jak almost three years ago, from owners who were moving to a new home where they couldn’t keep pets. A few months ago, Pehrson said, the previous owners asked to see Jak but their request was ignored.

The Pehrsons are hoping for a late Christmas miracle that will reunite them with Jak. They implore anyone with information about the dog’s whereabouts to call Lynn Pehrson at 509-655-5552 or email [email protected].

“He means the world to us,” he said.

    Jak