Santa Rosa man reunites with dog after car stolen with her inside

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- It was a very happy reunion in the North Bay between a man and lost dog. A suspect is now in jail.

Kada the dog was stolen along with her owner's car this week.

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"It was a rude awakening, what would life be like if I lost her," said Dalton James.

James is so happy to have his companion and friend home again.

The 11-year-old mix is getting re-acquainted with her friends outside the Cotati Coffee company after two scary days.

James' Honda Civic was stolen from a parking lot on Sunday with Kada inside.

"At first, I thought it was a friend playing a joke," James added.

But it was no joke. Kada and the car were gone. Friends mobilized and and printed flyers. James made a desperate plea on Facebook for anyone to keep an eye out for her.

Two days later, James' car was found in Port Orford, Oregon, with 37-year-old Danielle Lormer behind the wheel. She was arrested, but Kada was no where to be found.

On Tuesday night, there were reports on social media of a dog running on Highway 101.

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On Nextdoor, some drivers posted that they spotted a dog matching Kada's description running in and out of lanes and tried to catch her.

"We were bracing for a sad ending to the story," said Lisa Bloch, Marin Humane spokesperson.

Bloch says hours later, a Marin County Sheriff's deputy spotted the dog at a nearby shopping center.

"The deputy put two and two together and called Dalton to say your dog may be in Sausalito," Bloch added.

James showed up and the deputy snapped a picture of dog and owner, together again.

James thanks the deputy and strangers on social media. Cotati police posted on Facebook, "the power of social media wins again."