A taxi driver has been praised for rescuing a stolen Labrador puppy named Charlie from a suspicious passenger.
Sayed Qaisar picked up a woman with a puppy from a property in Carlingford, New South Wales, at 9.30pm on Sunday evening.
He said he immediately felt uncomfortable about the woman, who appeared agitated and couldn’t control the crying Labrador in the backseat.
Labrador pup Charlie (pictured) was stolen from the backyard of his home in Carlingford
Hayley Goddard-Brown (pictured) has told Daily Mail Australia that she and her boyfriend were extremely happy to be reunited with their pup
Charlie was later reunited with his loving owner Josh Collins (pictured)
‘The woman asked me to take her to another home in Carlingford to drop off the dog,’ Mr Qaiser told the Daily Telegraph.
When the taxi driver inquired about the dog’s name, the woman said it was her father’s dog, despite mentioning earlier that the dog was hers.
Mr Qaiser dropped the woman off at the requested destination, however she returned to the cab and claimed her father wasn’t home.
At that point, Mr Qaiser asked if she wanted to sell the dog, to which she responded ‘yes’.
The woman reportedly asked for $200 for the puppy, but ended up settling for $100 in cash. Mr Qaiser threw his sunglasses into the deal as well.
He took care of the young Labrador at his home the next day before taking him to the vet hospital after hearing reports of a stolen dog on the radio.
He soon discovered that the dog was called Charlie and belonged to Josh Collins and his girlfriend Hayley Goddard-Brown. Mr Qaiser had unwittingly rescued a stolen dog.
The pup had been stolen by an anonymous woman from the couple’s backyard. The act was caught on CCTV.
The pup had been stolen by an anonymous woman from their backyard. The act was caught on CCTV
The couple have expressed their relief and gratitude at having their beloved puppy returned safely to them.
Hayley Goddard-Brown told Daily Mail Australia that she and her boyfriend went through an emotional roller-coaster and are very happy to be reunited with their dog.
‘Having Charlie taken from us was a very emotional and tough journey for our family,’ Ms Goddard-Brown said.
‘Without him we weren’t complete, a part of our family was missing.
‘But we are beyond happy to say his back home with us were he belongs and safe. Our family is whole again.
‘We are so thankful to the taxi driver who noticed something wasn’t right and made the decision to rescue Charlie.’
‘It shows that there are genuine people out there.’