Is There An IQ Test You Have To Fail In Order To Adopt a Pit Bull? by The Stranger's Dan Savage

From the Seattle Police Department report on the incident, the situation played out like this. Amelia and her boyfriend Brandon were putting up posters with their names and phone numbers offering a $1,500 reward for Honey's return. As they were hanging the posters on Wednesday near 23rd and Union, a man approached them and told them he had bought the puppy last night for $50 from a man in a Lexus. The man said he needed a ride to where the dog was so they could complete the handover and give him the reward. Amelia and Brandon decided to call the cops to "mediate" the situation but when they arrived, the man said the puppy was not there but that he'd take Brandon to where Honey was being kept. According to the SPD report, Brandon agreed to drive the man to where the puppy was—against the officers' advice who were concerned the man "was going take advantage of them and take their reward money."

The report says that Brandon was directed to drive to an address near 21st and Marion. The man got out of the car and returned with a pistol visible in the waistband of his pants. The man said he needed the gun for protection because "people didn't like him" in the place where Honey was, Amelia said Brandon told her. The SPD report says the man then directed Brandon toward south Seattle. Amelia told CHS she attempted to follow them in her own car but couldn't keep up with all the turns and the speed at which Brandon drove.

Brandon told police that during the drive to south Seattle, the man reached into Brandon's pocket and attempted to grab the reward cash. According to the report, Brandon struggled but stopped when the man said he would kill Amelia if the cash wasn't handed over.... The SPD report says the man then directed Brandon to stop the vehicle near 39 Ave S and S Brandon where the man got out of the car and said he'd be back in five minutes with the dog. Brandon waited for a half hour but the man never returned. He then drove around the area looking for Honey until Amelia convinced him to stop the search and meet with police.