Two middle-aged Surrey women who run a charitable pet-rescue group are facing multiple charges relating to the alleged theft of a Coquitlam family pet. Janet Olson, 58, and Louise Reid, 59, who both volunteer as co-directors of A Better Life Dog Rescue, are alleged to have posed as animal welfare officers and stolen a bulldog named Samson from his family home on Nov. 21, 2011.
Olson is also facing charges in the theft of another dog in Surrey on April 13, 2011. Surrey RCMP say these incidents followed a spate of reported dog thefts across the Lower Mainland, which are still being investigated. Pet owners whose animals have suspiciously gone missing in the region are asked to contact Surrey RCMP.