Toledo, Oh. police hope to arrest the man who made a grab for Arrica Okenka's service dog, a 5-year old golden retriever named Ingrid, last week on a local bus, The Blade reports. The shocking moment was caught on the bus's surveillance video, and has since gone viral.
Okenka, 30, has cerebral palsy, and has owned Ingrid since 2009, her canine became very popular at the court she has worked at as a mediator since 2007.
"They call her [Ingrid] the court mascot. Everybody loves Ingrid," she told The Blade. "Everyone at the court is upset. Somebody tried to take our dog. She's my dog, but they call it our dog because they love her to pieces, but she's definitely mine."
Ingrid helps her owner with many tasks, from dressing and undressing to handling doors and picking up objects, making her a vital canine companion to Okenka's life.
"A lot of times, I don't have a hold of her leash, because she's so trained, I just let her lay down," Okenka said, recalling last Monday's disturbing events. "That day, I'm glad I had a hold of the leash. But once I realized what he was doing, I really wasn't letting go."
After striking up a conversation with Okenka about her service dog, the as yet unindentified thief, began bavhing strangely, according to Okenka, who explained he rang the bell requesting a stop several times as the bus neared a local shopping mall. The first time he got up, he grabbed a service schedule and sat back down, but the second time, he stepped over Ingrid and reached for her leash while the dog was laying down on the floor.
The yank on the leash cut the middle finger on Okenka's hand, but she assured reporters she is healing.
"I had my her leash wrapped around my hand and he grabbed the leash and it cut my hand," she told 13 ABC, and added that when she didn't let go, the would-be thief jumped off the bus. "I wasn't letting go I had a death grip on her. He would have had to drag me off the bus with her."
Okenka's dog has been following her for "four years," and hopes the viral video will help track down the man who tried to steal her best friend.
"She's so smart, I almost don't have to put her on a leash," she told The Blade. "I do that because you're supposed to do it - you're supposed to leash your dog. And now I'll definitely keep her on that leash forever."
Click here to see photos from the incident and a picture of Okenka with her service dog, Ingrid.
