Billie Joe Armstrong’s Instagram Followers Help Track Down Stolen Dog
Instagram followers of Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman for Green Day, came together to help a San Francisco couple find their missing dog.
Last weekend, David Baker and his girlfriend Cassandra Niki’s apartment was broken into. Along with bicycles and a laptop, their pit bull, Mochi, was taken. Surveillance cameras photographed a woman after she had broken in to the apartment and caught her leaving with the dog.
Baker and Niki took to their Instagram account and posted pictures of the dog and the woman who took her. Baker expressed how he felt about his missing pet.
“To me it’s a kidnapping, that was my child, and it was taken away from my house.”
According to CBS San Francisco, Jim Thiebaud, a former professional skateboarder and the co-founder of the punk label Adeline Records, first posted on Instagram about the missing dog.
“Skateboarders can do anything. Let’s help @DavidBake @ @Cassniki bring their stolen dog Mochi home. Their SF apt was broken into two days ago and along with their personal belongings their dog Mochi was stolen as well… I spoke with David this AM. There is a full foot search today. Let’s add to it – on skateboards.”
Armstrong saw Thiebaud’s post and re-posted it to his Instagram followers, asking them to help with the search.
>Repost from @jimthiebaud Skateboarders can do anything – let’s help @DavidBaker & @Cassniki bring their stolen dog Mochi home. Their SF apt was broken into two days ago and along with their personal belongings their dog Mochi was stolen as well. They have video of the person taking the dog away. There have been recent tips that the person taking the dog frequents and was seen yesterday in Civic Center / Tenderloin / Western Edition / Soma / Lower Haight areas. Mochi is approx 50 pound female Pitbull w/ white markings on her chest and front paws. I spoke with David this AM. There is a full foot search today. Let’s add to it – on skateboards. We are offering a fat DLX box to any skater that peacefully helps Mochi find her way home. If you have any info or see Mochi please call: 1 (909) 382-1156 or the SFPD. #thankyouskateboarding #bringmochihome
The re-posting got over 28,000 likes from Armstrong’s Instagram followers right away. Some of those Instagram followers joined the search on foot or by skateboard, others also re-posted the message and photos, and still others passed out flyers. Musician Matt Nathanson also tweeted about the search to his 84,000 Twitter followers.
heartbreaking. davidbaker had his dog stolen from his apartment here in san francisco. he is posting… http://t.co/hWml8W5V2O — matt nathanson (@mattnathanson) January 12, 2015
Armstrong had 434,000 Instagram followers earlier this week. As of today, he now has 437,000 Instagram followers. With that kind of reach, it isn’t any wonder Mochi was able to be located less than a day after Armstrong’s Instagram post.
Mochi has now been reunited with her owners. Baker and his girlfriend reportedly couldn’t be happier. Baker admitted he knows the reputation pit bulls have.
“A lot of people think pit bulls are mean, but all she knew was love. She’s just a very sweet dog. She’s super loving.”
On Tuesday, Armstrong posted a photo of Mochi to his Instagram followers, writing, “Just want to let everyone know that Mochi made it home.”
In other recent news, Green Day was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Most likely plenty of Instagram followers were happy with that achievement.
[Image via Melty]
