Stolen blind dog Bowie reunited with family, 48-year-old man arrested

The Durman family has been reunited with their visually-impaired Australian Shepard, Bowie, after he was stolen from their home two days ago.

The blind Australian Shepard allegedly stolen from his family home in Queensland has been found “safe and well” across the border.

NSW Police stopped a vehicle on Taylors Arm Road in Utungun just after 10.30am on Friday after receiving information regarding an allegedly stolen car containing a dog.

“An officer attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command stopped a grey SUV,” a police spokesperson said.

“A 48-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is assisting police with their inquiries at Macksville Police Station.

“An Australian Shepherd, believed to be missing dog Bowie, was located in the vehicle safe and well.”

Police located Bowie ‘safe and well’ on Friday morning in Utungun, NSW. Picture: 7NEWS

The investigation was launched after the beloved family pet was taken from his Southport home on the Gold Coast in an alleged brazen daylight robbery.

Police allege a group broke into the Regatta Pde address between 10am and 1.15pm on Wednesday.

The Durman family had been on a ski trip at the time, and returned home to find their beloved pet, car and other personal items missing, while various objects had been strewn about the house, including baby photos dumped into the toilets.

CCTV footage later released by Queensland Police showed a dog believed to be Bowie sitting in a car at a servo over the Queensland-NSW border, as an unknown man filled up the vehicle.

Blind Australian Shepherd Bowie was stolen from his Southport home on Wednesday. Picture: Queensland Police

Several items were allegedly stolen during the incident, including a grey 2022 Hyundai Tucson station wagon with Queensland registration 021FO8, within which Bowie was driven away from his home.

“Once we realised Bowie was gone, the cars and everything was immaterial to that,” father Luke Durman told 7NEWS.

“The focus was, we just wanted Bowie back.”

The Durmans said it was not in Bowie’s nature to run away and that some of his belongings, such as collars, had also disappeared after the break in.

The family returned from a ski trip to find items strewn around the living room. Picture: 7NEWS

It appears Bowie was in the front seat of the vehicle as it drove into a Yamba service station in NSW on Thursday. Picture: Queensland Police

CCTV footage released by police on Thursday afternoon showed a man attending a service station at Yamba, NSW around 4.30pm.

Bowie could be seen in the footage, sitting in the front seat of the car and looking around the station after the man left the vehicle to speak to the cashier inside.

Bowie was flagged as being tricoloured with distinctive black, white and gold fur, and blue eyes.

Bowie is tricoloured with distinctive black, white and gold fur, and blue eyes. Picture: Queensland Police

Police would like to speak to the man seen in the security camera footage. Picture: Queensland Police

Police were looking to speak to the man shown in the footage, who is of a slim build, caucasian appearance and has short brown hair.

In the vision he is seen wearing sunglasses, a white T-shirt, dark shorts with a stripe down the side and orange shoes.

Investigations into the incident are continuing and police have urged anyone with information to come forward or to contact Crime Stoppers.