. >> aaron dittmer's dog was stolen. the dog is not an ordinary family pet. >> the dog's name is buddy he is a little older than one year. he is a mix of a cavalier spaniel and a poodle. he's adorable. >> on friday dittmer walked buddy to the bank in downtown san rafael. he could not take him inside. he tied him to a flagpole in front of the banks pick windows and when he came out 10 minutes later but he was gone. >> i was in a big panic. one gentleman here witnessed two women that had played with the dog and then should -- took the dog and took off. >> is working with the bank and police hoping that surveillance footage will help identify the women that allegedly took that off. there is more to the story. buddy is a therapy dog for his wife nonprofit. >> he has a therapeutic purpose for young adults that have been exposed to a lot of trauma that my wife works with. >> dittmer is still some prized -- surprised buddy was stolen from a busy downtown plaza were so many people were walking around. >> i learn from other peopl

. >> on friday, dittmer walked buddy to the bank in downtown san rafael. but he is not a service dog, so he could not take him inside. he tied him to a flagpole. when he came out 10 minutes later, but he was gone. >> i talk to everybody around here. one gentleman witnessed a womanhood played with the dog and took the dog. >> he is working with the bank and police, hoping surveillance footage will identify the woman. but he says there is more to the story. but he is also a therapy dog for his wife's nonprofit. >> he has a therapeutic function for the young adults my wife works for. it is a loss for the community as a whole. >> dittmer still surprised that was stolen from a busy downtown plaza. so many people were walking >>>> this is a thing, stealing dogs and selling them. >> according to the american kennel association, dog theft is on the rise. almost 2 million dogs are stolen each year in the u.s. some will pretend to have found the dog and trying to collect a reward. others can use it to collect a ransom. legal experts call it low risk, high reward. lo