Bay Area rock star helps spread word about stolen SF dog

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Social media and a local rock star helped to reunite a man with his beloved dog. The dog was stolen over the weekend, allegedly by Melissa Perna of San Francisco.

Missing dogs don't usually get this kind of attention, but in this case, surveillance cameras, social media, and help from a rock star all worked together to bring "Mochi" home.

David Baker and his beloved companion Mochi are reunited after a very stressful weekend of searching for her. Baker said, "It's kind of a blur because it was so shocking that it all happened."

On Saturday, Baker was sleeping in his apartment in SOMA when a thief broke in downstairs and made off with a bike, backpack and Mochi.

"For a while, we kind of thought that she just ran away, until we saw footage of the woman actually taking my dog," Baker said.

Cameras at a nearby business caught the image of a woman with a backpack walking two bikes and a dog minutes after the burglary.

Police were called and Baker's friends got to work making sure photos of Mochi and the suspect would be seen.

"We got groups together, put it out on social media as much as possible," Baker said.

The posts about the dognapping went viral and even Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong posted it on his Instagram account to share it with his 400,000 followers.

"It's crazy to see how far the word can spread and how much people want to help," Baker said.

On Monday, someone who heard about Mochi spotted the suspect walking a dog matching the 2-year-old pit bull's description near the Tenderloin Police Station and alerted officers.

They arrested 31-year-old Melissa Perna on suspicion of burglary and theft of a dog.

Baker said he wants to thank everyone who helped bring her home. He said, "Every little part helped out and I have my dog back and most important thing."

Mochi is fine and happy to be home.