I was 22 when I first saw her. My brother and I were on a trip to Japan, and we passed a line of animal cafes in the tourist part of Tokyo. Many of the little hole-in-the-wall cafes in that part of town had glass displays, and cute little animals were playing in the windows.

The sun was blazing that July day, and as I scanned the bustling street in search of the deliciously sweet bean paste smell that had wafted up to my nose, my eyes found what can only be described as... a $5,000 Pomeranian puffball.

The cutest dog I have ever seen in my entire life.

Unfortunately, I was a newly minted college graduate at the time, and as a result very broke. I attempted to barter with the shopkeeper— a stern Asian woman who— when I offered $2,000, all of the money in my bank account at the time, using Google Translate— said something in Japanese to a helper and snorted, waving me away.

I was desperately in love at that point, and so I persisted: $2,000 and you can keep my brother for a week. Free labor.

Still she did not relent.

And so, late that night, instead of spending $2,000 on a Pomeranian puffball (who, at that point, I had decided to name Matcha), I instead spent about $10 on a crowbar.

I simply could not leave without that dog.

I took the crowbar, shoved it in my backpack, and walked back to the shop. The street was still bustling. I waited.

3AM came. The crowds had thinned, but there were still people around.

I waited.

4AM came, and there were still occasional passers-by, but time was running out before the streets were set to come alive again in the morning. So, I took action.

And that was how I found myself sitting in a jail cell in Japan.

But here's the thing. With the crowbar, I opened the box with Matcha in it. Then I heard the sirens before the police arrived. So I did what any sensible about-to-be-arrested person would: I saved the dog first. I put Matcha down, and let her free.

Then I got arrested. I was fined, and I couldn't pay, so I spent a few more months in jail in Japan.

It was kinda nice, actually. I had a lot of free time. I sat in silence for a long while. I finally had a consistent schedule (by virtue of being forced by the wardens to wake up at 5AM, etc). I started getting letters from this Saudi Arabian prince who said he could bail me out, if I lent him a few thousand dollars to get his oil company stocks unfrozen since a hacking group had taken control and was demanding a ransom. I dunno what was wrong with that guy, since if I had a few thousand dollars I would have bailed myself out anyway.

All the while, I worried about Matcha.

I knew someone had to have scooped her up. I texted my brother several times, but he must have had cell service issues, because he wasn't responding to my messages.

I resolved I'd do everything in my power to find her after I got out.