Daniel Sturridge has opened up about the ordeal of his dog being stolen, after being ordered to pay a £22,400 reward two and a half years after the dog was stolen.
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Back in the summer of 2019, Sturridge was living in Los Angeles when he took to social media to tell the world that his dog had been stolen from his apartment.
The former Liverpool striker offered a reward to whoever took Lucci, his canine best friend, saying, "Listen, whoever knows who broke into my crib, I'll pay you anything. I'm dead serious. I wanna know who took my s***. I wanna know what's [happened].
"I wanna know why they've [taken] my dog. I wanna know why they've [taken] bags from upstairs.
"How can you break into a house in LA and take someone's dog? Are you crazy? You've come into a house to take a dog?
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"..."I want my dog back and I'll pay whatever, it don't matter, it don't matter the cost. 20 or 30 grand, bring my dog back."
Sturridge, who had just been released by Liverpool at the time, having picked up a second Champions League winners medal, then had the dog returned to him.
The striker was tweeted by musician Killa Fame, who claimed to have found the dog, and police also said the rapper was not involved in the break in.
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However, Fame then took to social media to slam the footballer and claim that he was 'dishonest' and 'didn't live up to his word' after not handing over a reward.
The issue was then taken to the courts by the American and on Christmas Eve a Los Angeles court ordered Sturridge, who is now playing in Australia, to pay $30,000 to the rapper.
However it hasn't ended there, with the 32-year-old Perth Glory striker taking to Twitter to claim that he has previously paid a reward to the person who returned his dog, and that he has proof.
Fame, real name Foster Washington, told PA he felt 'let down' by the footballer and hoped the issue was now over and it wouldn't be appealed.
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"Hopefully he pays up and doesn't try to appeal it," the American said.
"I'm excited about it, I've been fighting this case for over a year, I can't believe it's over. When we found the dog I thought my life was going to be better."
Two and a half years, multiple tweets, a court case and $30,000 later and Sturridge will be hoping that he can just enjoy some quality time with Lucci.
Featured Image Credit: TwitterTopics: Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool
