Kaitlyn Thomas got home from work on November 16th to find her Remington house ransacked. Someone had broken in.
"Immediately my first thoughts were the animals,” she said. “Knox wasn't here, Knox is my dog. I looked everywhere for him, and he was gone."
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The 3.5-year-old pit bull had been swiped. Frantic to find him, Kaitlyn started a Facebook page to get the word out, fliers were posted in the neighborhood and a GoFundMe campaign raised $8,000 to offer a huge reward for the pup.
Thankfully, 36-hours later, Knox was home safe.
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"All of the attention, it got really hot and the people who took him let him go," Kaitlyn said.
But it was the attention the rescue effort got that's stayed with her, and she wants to give back.
"My main hope, personally, is to help other people dealing with this, it was terrible, it was very traumatic," said Kaitlyn.
Dog theft is actually a huge problem across the country. The American Kennel Club tracks taken pets, and from 2014 to 2015 there was a nearly 31% increase in the crime.
Here in Charm City, there aren't many resources to curb the crime, so Kaitlyn and her partner are starting the Finding Knox organization.
"We want to help anybody that is suffering from this, but mostly we want to stop it from happening at all, so helping people through grants with security systems, raising awareness about it,” she said. “Making sure your home is safe, making sure your dog is safe when he's left alone."
They're still figuring out all the details and recruiting people who want to be involved.
To kick off the new organization, and thank everyone who helped bring Knox home, Kaitlyn and her pooch will be at The Hon Bar Wednesday night. The event runs from 5PM to 8PM, and 20% of the bar proceeds will go toward the Finding Knox organization.
Find more details on the event’s Facebook page.
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