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Photo by Jim Craven Mark and Renee Wauge of Medford and their three dogs -- from left, Scrappy, Darla and Roy -- are a happy family again after Scrappy and Darla went on an unexpected ride Thursday when thieves stole the Wauges' truck. Long little dogs take short ride when thief takes family car By Dani Dodge Two Medford wiener dogs got the ride of their lives Wednesday when they became the unwitting victims of car thieves. But the episode ended happily when police made an arrest within minutes. The dogs were unharmed -- although a little stressed. "Scrappy got sick and vomited," said Lt. Tim George of the Medford Police Department. "But Darla (the other dog) maintained her composure until the whole thing was done." Mark Wauge, 32, had been picking up his wife's birthday present at Circuit City when the crime occurred shortly after 6 p.m. He had loaded his 2000 Dodge Durango with stereo equipment when he realized he'd forgotten the speaker stands. He parked in the "No Parking" zone just outside the store and ran back in, leaving the keys and his dachshunds Darla, 2, and Scrappy, 1, inside the SUV. When he emerged from the store moments later, the vehicle and the dogs were gone. "I didn't care about the car," Wauge said. "All I cared about was the dogs and what I would say to my wife." He ran back into the store and called police. "We emphasized the dogs," said dispatcher Terrie Sweeny. "We're big animal lovers and the car wasn't the big deal." Wauge fretted. The dogs have a bad habit of crawling on people. He thought the thieves would just toss the pint-sized pups out the window. But just then officer Jason Becker, patrolling near the intersection of highways 99 and 62, saw a white SUV. "My fear was the same as Mark's," Becker said. "Usually people don't want to keep the dogs and get rid of them." Becker trailed the truck a few blocks until it stopped at an apartment complex. Then he hit the lights. When backup arrived, he made the arrests. Scrappy was on the seat. "I looked over and said, `that's Mark Wauge's dog,"' Becker said. Wauge's dogs have achieved minor fame on the local car racing circuit because Wauge takes them with him when he races. Wauge arrived as officers made their arrests. Darla emerged from under the seat. There was applause in the dispatching office, said dispatcher Ranae Shurtz. "Once we got Scrappy out of the car, the excitement got to him and he yakked," Wauge said. "Darla was a little shook -- that's why she hid under the seat." Police arrested 23-year old David Lopez Jr. of Santa Clara, Calif., and Daniel Lee Clay, 18, of 2158 Table Rock Road, No. 28, Medford. They were charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and three counts of first-degree theft -- one count for the stereo equipment and one count for each dog. Thursday, the Wauges and their dogs went to the police station to thank officers and dispatchers. "I don't know what would have happened without their quick work," Wauge said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA