FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man accidentally found himself in the middle of a story that he is glad had a happy ending.
Jason Steele said he met Danaja Brinkley, the owner of a 9-month-old French bulldog who told him her dog Georgie had been stolen from a Fort Lauderdale hotel. He was at a park nearby with his own Frenchie named Otis.
The two exchanged numbers and then, about 24 hours later, Steele saw something,
“I’m driving down and I see the dog that was shown to me on Wednesday and it’s the same lady. Red slip-on shoes, jeans, black hoodie.”
He talks about getting the dog from the woman.
" ‘I’m like you’re not going anywhere, you’re not going back.’ She said, ‘Why are you being aggressive?’ I said ‘I’m not being aggressive, but if this is your dog, let’s wait for the police to get here.’ And right then is when I took the dog from her.”
Steele said he knew immediately it was the woman. “Like instantly, within a second.” He said he drives up and down A1A every day.
“I know the dogs and I know the people. She was out of place and she’s wearing red shoes.”
Steele said there was something else that wasn’t right about the woman with the dog.
“She picked the dog up by the harness and was struggling . . . being a dog owner you don’t want to see that.”
Steel said he’s just glad that Georgie is back where he belongs.
“… With his rightful loving owner, not with some crazy person.”
Agustina Natali Berrondo was arrested and charged with grand theft.