A cairn terrier that was dognapped Christmas Day is back home with its owners after the dog's abduction story went viral and the pet was tracked down at a Liberty Lake hotel with its abductor.

"What a crazy, crazy couple days it has been," Lynn Pehrson said Thursday. "Just lucky is what we are."

Pehrson, a longtime North Idaho resident who lives in Hayden, contacted The Press early Tuesday morning after his little dog Jak was stolen right out of his backyard in a strange circumstance.

Pehrson's wife, Sindra Pehrson, had stepped outside with Jak around 4 p.m. Monday. She clipped Jak's collar to the long leash that keeps him from running after woodland critters, as terriers do.

"He loves squirrels and deer," Lynn Pehrson said.

A woman in a green and tan coat suddenly emerged from under the Pehrsons' deck and enticed the dog with a baggie of food, quickly unclipping Jak from his leash and taking off with him to a getaway vehicle waiting at the end of the driveway.

"She crawled under the deck and laid there for who knows how long," Pehrson said.

The Press article ran Wednesday. Other news outlets also reported the story and it was shared far and wide on social media.

"It went across the land," Pehrson said. "It hit a lot of hearts."

The Pehrsons' daughter in California texted her parents Wednesday afternoon that someone in the Liberty Lake area believed to have seen Jak and the dognapper at a local Best Western. With a couple friends who wanted to help, the Pehrsons went to the hotel and spoke with the manager. They provided flyers, photos and details on the situation and asked the manager to please look at the cameras to see if Jak could be found.

When footage revealed the suspect had checked into the hotel Christmas Eve and was later seen with a dog matching Jak's description, the authorities were called and a search warrant was issued, Pehrson said. 

"We just had to wait," he said.

He said the suspect had placed a different collar on Jak and denied everything. Law enforcement personnel called a local vet to check the dog's microchip.

"I said, 'It will tell you, that’s my dog,'" Pehrson said.

The Pehrsons recovered their dog in a happy reunion, although Jak was not quite himself when they retrieved him from the suspect's hotel room.

"When he came out, you could tell he was distraught, just stressed out. He was kind of like, 'What the hell’s going on?'" Pehrson said.

They gave Jak a bath, gave him a nice meal and slept with him all night.

"He is like a kid, and that's just it. I know it's a dog, but that’s how I feel," Pehrson said. "We didn't eat or sleep a wink when he was gone."

The family bought Jak online about three years ago from owners who could not have pets at the new home into which they were moving. Although the suspect's name has not been released, Pehrson believes the dognapper is one of the former owners.

"In February she called to ask if they could see the dog," he said. "I said no, there's no reason for that. Absolutely not."

He said in conducting research and talking to the suspect's ex-husband, clues started coming together.

"For someone to come down this long driveway and come under our deck, it's just odd," Pehrson said. "I thought, 'Something's not right here.'"

A Liberty Lake Police Department employee who answered a call from The Press said the suspect is not in custody, however she has been identified and charges are being forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's office. She could have other charges for what took place in Idaho, the employee said.

Pehrson said he received messages and emails from people everywhere who wanted to help or at least share their condolences for what his family experienced on Christmas Day. One person nearby shared their doorbell cam footage which captured an SUV similar to the getaway vehicle stopping at their house and someone taking pictures of their dog.

"It is crazy, just surreal. It was a domino effect," Pehrson said. "This is something you read about in a book, or something from a movie."

He shared his deep appreciation to everyone involved in Jak's safe return.

"This dog is back in my house because of all of you, because you got involved," he said. "You got to have faith and you got to keep pushing, keep your head up. The only reason I have my dog is because of you folks."

He said the kindness and efforts of so many helped restore his faith in humanity.

"This shows there's a lot of good people out there," Pehrson said.

    Jak peeks out from his doggie bed after being stolen from his Hayden home Monday and returned to his rightful owners Wednesday.
  

    Lynn Pehrson and Jak are seen Thursday in their Hayden home. Jak was stolen Christmas Day by a woman who was under the Pehrsons' back deck and enticed the dog with food. The suspect and stolen canine were tracked down at a Liberty Lake hotel Wednesday, where Jak was reunited with his family.