SF neighborhood jumps in to help senior citizen chasing escaped dog barefoot through streets
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco senior went on quite a chase, barefoot through the streets of San Francisco, after his family's dog escaped. Thanks to countless neighbors and one motorcycle riding man in particular, this remarkable story has a happy ending.
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"I just take off. No shoes. No ID. No telephone. Crazy man! I think a lot of people thought that too!" exclaims 70-year-old Clarence Fung, who is certainly not a crazy man. He's just a man who sprang into action after seeing a car, blocking part of the driveway to his Nob Hill home.
"I'm telling him to move, not knowing Moseley is right behind." Says Clarence, pointing to a massive monitor displaying multiple surveillance cameras capturing the event in stunning clarity.
In just seconds, his daughter Kimmy's 8-year-old rescue dog Moseley, bolted out of their front gate Saturday afternoon, taking Clarence and a number of neighbors on a wild chase. Up and down streets they went, into a nearby park, and back toward the house.
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At one point, the man who illegally parked his dark Mercedes partially in front of the Fung driveway offered to help.
"The man says Moseley's around Sacramento, get in! Let's go! I get in not knowing the man, hahaha and take off!" beams Clarence as his wife and daughter smile and laugh along with him.
But there was one man in particular, who was on a motorcycle, and went into "Fast and Furious" mode to lead the search effort.
"He was holding traffic and getting other people involved...even going up the wrong way of the street!"
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Nearly 20 minutes later, after a fast-paced chase -- including a man on a scooter and a neighbor who collapsed in exhaustion -- it was the man on the motorcycle, who dropped his bike on the sidewalk as Moseley ran past the Fung house, who once again that saves the day.
Clarence points to the surveillance video and explains the man suddenly yelled down the street "we got him!"
Moseley was reunited with Clarence's wife, who held the wiry-haired pooch in her arms, waiting for her husband who was dropped off by the Mercedes driver a couple blocks away.
The entire incident happened so quickly, the Fungs say they didn't even think about finding the man's phone number to properly thank him.
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But using the motorcycle's license plate, ABC7 News tracked down the rider. He asked we call him only by his first name James. With his own Chihuahua rescue, Sweet Pea, James stopped by the Fung home for a surprise visit.
"If it weren't for you I don't believe Mosely would be here!" Clarence told him.
James explains Sweet Pea herself has run into the street before, so he understood the Fung's panic. For him, the experience was also part adrenaline rush.
"You can drive up one way streets, cross red lights, no cop is going to give you a ticket when you're chasing a dog!"
Clarence's daughter Kimmy says this experience has restored her faith in humanity.
"Especially in this day in age with the pandemic and anti-Asian sentiment lately."
She has this message for everyone's fast actions which led to this happy reunion.
"Dogs bring people together. Dogs are our world, and our life. Thank you so much for helping bring him home."
