Update: Shortly after 7 p.m., Saturday, Barrie police announced on social media that Teddy has been located and reunited with his family "for what will be a late dinner." Police say the dog was located near where the car had crashed earlier in the day. "Now if dogs could only talk, we would have a whole story to share," police said.
*************************
A 91-year-old Good Samaritan has had his cherished dog and his car stolen by people he was trying to help.
Barrie police, who put out an alert for residents to keep an eye out for a grey Mazda 3, have located the car, but the precious cargo inside — a dog resembling a corgi, called Teddy — is still missing.
The dog was inside the vehicle when it was taken from a south-end residential neighbourhood Saturday.
“Teddy is his pride and joy,” explained the man’s granddaughter, Ricki-Lee Cordeiro-Baxter. “My grandfather just lost his wife last year, so it’s emotional.
“My grandfather comes from a different era than we do and he’s trusting.”
The car was stolen at 12:23 p.m. from the parking lot at a park at Hurst Drive and Golden Meadow Road and was last seen heading toward Lakeshore Drive with two females inside. Just after 4:30 p.m., Barrie police tweeted the car was located in Oro-Medonte Township. The suspects are now being sought.
The family put out a plea on Facebook and is offering a $500 reward for the safe return of the dog, adding there will be no questions asked.
Cordeiro-Baxter said her grandfather, who lives in Innisfil, had stopped at the park to give his dog water when the two women asked him for a boost.
“So, my grandfather gets out and he’s got booster cables in his vehicle and he goes over to try to help them,” said Cordeiro-Baxter. “They were super friendly. The daughter was petting the dog in his car.
“It was a very genuine thing for my grandfather to do because he thought he was helping these women out.”
His keys, she explained, are attached to a retractable cord on his pocket.
When he got into his vehicle to start it, a message popped up indicating the key fob was missing. Cordeiro-Baxter said her grandfather got out of the car and as he looked for the fob in the nearby grass area, the two females hopped into the car and took off with it, with Teddy still inside.
While they’d like the car returned, the family is more concerned about the pet and is asking for help to have it returned.
