The dog who serves as a mascot for the Koekelberg Basilica has been found not long after he was stolen by two men.
The dog, whose name is Helios, is a husky that serves as both a mascot and caretaker at Koekelberg Basilica, a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica and parish church in Brussels, according to Bruzz.
The nine-year-old Helios usually stays in the courtyard in the afternoon, and that’s where he was abducted.
“The door was forced and on the camera images we can clearly see that two young men took the dog,” said Martine Motteux-Abeloos, vice-rector of the Basilica of Koekelberg.
“We have filed a complaint with the police and handed out leaflets in the neighbourhood,” Motteux-Abeloos said shortly after the abduction, expressing hope that Helios would be found soon.
The dog’s human family was especially concerned because Helios requires special care and medication, without which “he probably won’t last long,” but he was able to be recovered quickly, safe and sound.
Helios is reported to be exhausted, but in good health.
Huskies are a popular breed of dog, and so usually stolen in order to sell or to be used for breeding, which would not have been possible with Helios as he is neutered.
He was discovered in the Bonaventurestraat in Jette, where the thieves - said to be younger men - presumably abandoned him.
“He was tired and starving, but in good condition,” the dog’s family reports. “Now Helios is in good hands again.”
The Brussels Times
