Thief steals Federal Way woman’s service dog equipment

Published 9:30 am Tuesday, August 16, 2016

It was one of those days.

Nicole Bostic was having a flare-up, which left her foggy-minded and struggling to walk.

“Sometimes I forget where I leave my keys,” Bostic said, explaining a symptom of her spinal disorder, that occurred on July 30. “I forget where I leave my phone. I forget things. So that day in particular, I forgot to lock my vehicle.”

In her vehicle was equipment she uses for her service dog, Goji, and other dogs she trains through her business Priceless Pets: Behavior Modification and Canine Training.

The next day, Bostic discovered that everything except a Chuckit dog toy had been stolen from her car, which was parked inside a carport at her Federal Way apartment complex. The dog training equipment is estimated to be worth about $800.

“It’s like somebody taking your security blanket,” Bostic said through tears. “It’s your medical equipment, basically. Our dogs are our medical equipment; our dogs are medical devices.”

Goji, a Belgian Malinois, is task-trained in mobility and provides bracing and support when walking is a task for Bostic. Goji can also block crowds of people when necessary, and Bostic is training him to retrieve her water bottle if she leaves it at the gym. Before she got him, he was a military dog that was trained to track scents.

After finding her equipment stolen, Bostic gave Goji the command to track, but something strange happened.

“He knew,” she said. “The smells were familiar.”

Although Bostic’s vehicle was unlocked, her equipment for training dogs was locked in the trunk and there weren’t any “bait” items inside that would entice a thief.

“I never leave anything visible inside the car because vehicle crimes like that are always opportunistic, and I never leave anything for them to be opportunistic about,” Bostic said. “That’s why, in my mind, it was targeted.”

Understandably upset, Bostic posted about the tragedy on Facebook and filed a police report after an officer reached out to her.

“Most times, with vehicle theft, property theft, [police] don’t do anything. But because of the nature of the case, they reached out and they did,” Bostic said. “So I’m very thankful for them for doing that.”

Federal Way Police Department spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said apartment complexes in Federal Way are the No. 1 threat for theft because of the high concentration of vehicles in one location.

“Theft from vehicles is a one of the most prolific crimes of opportunity throughout the country, and Federal Way is no different,” Schrock said. “The only way to prevent this type of theft is always to remove valuables from your vehicle. Locking valuables in the trunk of your vehicle is an excellent prevention tool, however, it is not theft-proof.”

Her friend, Cindy Lance, also learned of the theft as the two were at French Lake Dog Park.

“She’s just a really nice person,” Lance said of Bostic. “I really care about her, and when I found out this happened to her, I was very upset. I wanted to do something to help her.”

Lance set up a gofundme.com account on Aug. 1 to raise enough money to replace the equipment Bostic lost.

As of Aug. 9, friends, family and some anonymous donors have donated $565 toward the $1,000 goal.

“I think, to steal someone’s medical equipment – her dog is basically her medical equipment – that, to me, is just the lowest of the low,” Lance said. “I mean, that’s just a horrendous crime. I just couldn’t let myself just sit idly by and do nothing.”

Bostic said she was thrilled when she learned what Lance had done and is grateful for the donations. But that didn’t stop her from becoming consumed with searching for any trace of her equipment. She’s searched websites like Craigslist and OfferUp and has visited several local pawn shops with the police report in-hand.

A service dog training vest, Goji’s harness, collars, leashes, reward balls and an expensive training device was stolen.

“A huge investment that I saved up money for that was taken was a remote training device, and not only do I use that with some client dogs, I also use that with Goji when we’re on trails for, basically, for protection, because we go hiking,” Bostic said. “He’s a dog. He has a prey drive, and if we’re out there with bears and stuff, he needs a remote [vibration] collar.”

That $300 collar also gives her more than protection – it gives her freedom. Bostic said for people who need mobility assistance, service dogs allow them to stay active instead of being bound to a wheelchair or attached to a cane.

As for whomever stole her equipment? Bostic has one thing to say to them.

“Good things do come from things that are bad, and I just pray they feel they had a better need than he and I, and that their need was bigger than ours.”

The site raising funds for Bostic’s new service dog equipment can be found at www.gofundme.com/2hf43rw.