Operation Pretzel

I now believe that law enforcement does work in this country... sometimes.

Last month, our beloved pet Pretzel, a purebred shih tzu was dognapped in broad daylight right in fromt of our house. A neighbor saw the suspect fleeing with Pretzel in his hands.

Naturally, our first course of action was to report the matter to the police. The police, upon hearing the testimony of our neighbor started a search for the suspect. My sister was so distraught about the incident that she even printed leaflets and flyers promising a reward of three thousand pesos for any information leading to Pretzel's recovery.

A few weeks have gone with no leads. Then in an unfortunate (but lucky) turn of events, someone living in the same community also lost shih tzu dogs - two of them!! The same suspect was spotted by the village guard a few minutes before the dogs disappeared. A pattern was emerging. The police redoubled their efforts in searching for our suspect.

This morning, we were summoned by the police who finally got the suspect in custody. Upon arrival at the precinct, our neighbor positively identified the suspect as the one who carried Pretzel away on the date of her abduction. The suspect, a thirteen year old boy who has been in and out of juvenile detention for years, promptly admitted to crime. Case solved.

But we still didnt have Pretzel.

The suspect confessed to have sold Pretzel to a shopkeeper in the public market for one thousand pesos. He also identified the recepients of the other two dogs. The police asked us to join them in an operation to recover the dogs.

I boarded a police van with the precinct chief, four police officers and the suspect. We sped off to the public market with sirens blaring! If any of you saw me and though I was an apprehended criminal in a police van, sorry to disappoint you. I even felt like I was in a TV cop drama while riding in that van. It gave me rush!

The suspect pointed to the direction of the shopkeeper who upon realizing he had been fingered as a buyer of stolen goods, promptly surrendered the dog. I did my role to the best of my ability - identifying the dog as indeed ours. I got pretzel back.

The police advised us to file charges against the suspect or he walks away free. They said that the boy needed rehabilitation in a juvenile facility like Boy's Town or else, he will grow up to a life of crime. We have got to file charges if we wanted the boy reformed.

My dad will do that on Monday - with a plea not to try the kid as an adult. He needs reform, not punishment. If for anything, it's the parents that should have to answer to society.