RCMP in Nova Scotia are investigating after a puppy was stolen from a home in the Halifax suburb of Timberlea.
Police received a report of a break and enter on Wilbert Devoe Crescent shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“I noticed that things were on the ground that I thought she knocked over, but realized she couldn’t reach,” says dog owner Ashley Hills.
“Then I realized something was terribly wrong when she didn’t come running to greet me, and I couldn’t find her anywhere.”
Hills soon learned thieves had taken her 12-week-old Boston Terrier, named Xiaobao.
Hills says she now only has some dog toys and a bed by which to remember her beloved pet.
“It’s an empty space in your home.”
There are many dog owners in Hills’ neighbourhood and they are upset by the crime, which took place in broad daylight.
“I was shocked. I mean, it was just a baby puppy,” says neighbour Tammy Fader.
“I hope they find them and put them in the dog house,” says neighbour Tom Welsh.
The thieves also stole some jewelry, a laptop, and a tablet from Hills’ home, but she and her husband are only focusing on getting their puppy back.
“Things are one thing, things are replaceable,” says Hills. “But when it’s an animal you can bond with, it’s unbelievable.”
“Anybody who is a pet owner, it becomes part of your family and they are loved,” says Halifax RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae. “We want to do our best to reunite the puppy with its owners.”
Police were at the home today gathering evidence.
Xiaobao is a black and white Boston Terrier. She has a scar on the top of her head and her tail is hooked noticeably to the left.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact police.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
