On June 14, three people allegedly stole a puppy from a parked car in Ellsworth, Maine. Along with the dog, they stole pet supplies from the local Walmart. Fortunately, the pup was safely reunited with their owner. Moreover, the police could return the canine to the pet parent within hours of them being stolen.
3 people reportedly stole puppy from parked car in Ellsworth
According to Bangor Daily News, the owner left her dog in her parked car on Friday to run a quick errand. She was only gone for a few minutes with the air conditioning running to ensure her pup stayed cool and didn’t suffer from heat exhaustion. Moreover, she ensured the vehicle’s doors were locked when she left the canine.
However, when the pet parent returned to her car, the dog was missing, and the car doors were unlocked. Since no damage was done to the vehicle, the police assume the pup mistakenly stepped on a button to unlock the doors.
The incident wasn’t reported by the pet parent but by some Walmart customers. She posted about her missing pet on Facebook, which some of the customers had seen. They recognized the puppy stolen from the parked car and called the police to report it. The alleged thieves had the canine with them when they shoplifted pet supplies from the local Walmart.
The puppy is a longhaired Dachshund worth about $2,500, which makes the theft a felony. The suspects have been charged with class C burglary of a motor vehicle and theft. They are also facing class E theft charges for allegedly shoplifting. Moreover, the suspects were arrested on Friday itself.
The stolen puppy was safely reunited with their owner and was unharmed. Councilor Nancy Smith noted that the reunion was made possible due to the power of social media.
