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LYNNWOOD—Lynnwood woman Lianne Almughirah was devastated when her mother’s vehicle, with her dog Sounder inside, were stolen from an Alderwood parking lot last week. Now she’s offering a $100 reward to anyone who can prove her suspicion that the auto theft was part of a larger social media challenge circulating around TikTok.

Almughirah’s mother, who lives with her, was taking care of errands last Wednesday, June 12, when she left her 2005 silver Toyota Corolla running outside the Navy Credit Union on 184^th street in Lynnwood, with Sounder still in the backseat.

She had only been gone for about ten minutes when she returned outside to find her car, and pup, were missing.

“It was a pretty normal day until she walked out of the credit union and her car wasn’t there,” said Almughirah.

Almughirah’s mother immediately called the Lynnwood Police to report her missing vehicle. She informed the Lynnwood Times that Lynnwood PD officers responded immediately and contacted Animal Control to assist in the search and retrieval efforts.

Almughirah was at Shoreline Community College, where she works, when she got the call around 2 p.m. Her mother, in hysterics, told her what had happened.

“I couldn’t think or feel anything. I stood up and my co-workers were following me around asking me what happened but I couldn’t spit out a single word, I was just in complete shock,” said Almughirah. “It took me a little while to get back to reality, get myself together, and go out and search for him.”

The Lynnwood PD were investigating an incident near Alderwood Mall on Wednesday when an officer noticed a man driving a vehicle wearing a face mask and gloves. He called in the vehicle’s registration – which happened to be Almughirah’s mother’s car. This was around the same time that Almughirah’s mother was calling in to report her vehicle being stolen.

Later that evening, one of Almughirah’s students was riding a bus down Bothell Everett Highway when he noticed a car that matched her mother’s description, coincidentally also being driven by a man wearing a face mask and gloves, but the vehicle was red – not silver.

Because LPD officers had noticed a suspicious man driving Almughirah’s vehicle earlier that day, they suspected the driver had taken off up Ash Way toward 155th Street.

Almughirah was able to leave work early and assemble a large search party of about 20 people, scowling the nearby streets from 2 p.m. until about 10 p.m. at night.

“We were told the police were searching too but we didn’t see anyone, we weren’t getting any updates, and the next day we didn’t hear anything and so I started looking again,” said Almughirah. 

Returning home that night without Sounder was hard, Almughirah shared with the Lynnwood Times, knowing that when she walked through the door she would not be met with Sounder’s joyful kisses and jumping.

After nearly 24 hours of searching, the vehicle was found around 12 p.m. the next day, Thursday, on 40^th Avenue near 188^th by Animal Control.

When Almughirah received the call her heart dropped, not knowing what to expect about her beloved dog’s condition. To her relief, Animal Control informed her that Sounder, albeit clearly scared, was still safe inside.

“Animal Control, who had been out looking, were the ones who initially found the vehicle and at first didn’t believe there was a dog in it but upon closer inspection he noticed that the dog was in the wheel well of the back, driver’s side, seat… just sitting,” said Almughirah.

Almughirah was in Shoreline on Meridian Avenue, checking out a lead, when she received the call. She immediately dropped everything she was doing and rushed to Lynnwood.

“I was really happy but scared and nervous and time moved very slowly on that drive to Lynnwood,” said Almughirah.

When she arrived, she opened the car door and found Sounder in the driver’s side wheel well. The dog looked up at her, petrified. She gave him some water and peppered him with treats. At that point, she said, Sounder became really happy and began lapping her face in kisses. As they drove him back home, Sounder sported a huge smile.

“He seemed really confused but it seemed like he knew that someone else had left him there, and it wasn’t us, but he wasn’t quite sure what happened,” said Almughirah. “I don’t know, maybe they threatened them.”

Almughirah suspects there were a total of three thieves involved in the incident. Upon hearing about the other suspicious driver, wearing a face mask and gloves spotted the same day her own car was stolen, she began suspecting that the theft might be linked to a TikTok challenge.

Sounder is a six-year-old Shetland Sheepdog/American Eskimo mix who was rescued from a bad situation two years ago. Because of his traumatic experiences, Sounder is often weary of strangers – a trait which Almughirah believes helped deter the thief(s) from getting any further than they did.

“I really feel, because Sounder wasn’t harmed at all, that they [the thieves] were like ‘oh my God there’s a dog in the back’ so they dumped the car in a place where someone could find the dog and maybe come back for the car later,” said Almughirah. “He may have even bit one of them for trying to pick him up and grab him. He’s very protective of his spaces, and me his mom. He will defend his own territory – they messed with the wrong dog.”

Sounder is often shy in public but happy and joyful around those he’s familiar with, Almughirah shared. He often keeps his family on their toes with his playful energy.

Other than not making the mistake of leaving your car running, Almughirah suggests to anyone experiencing a car theft to “make a scene,” talk to people around to try and find witnesses, and mobilize fast to get out there and look.

“I could have just gone home and done nothing, but we mobilized, banded together, and found him within 24-hours. The important lesson is get out there and don’t wait – look,” said Almughirah.

Author: Kienan Briscoe