Two thieves stole a woman’s elderly dog from outside a Williamsburg grocery store Monday evening.
The pup poachers abducted Theo, an 11-year-old border-terrier mix, while he was waiting for his master outside the Green Corner Fish and Farmers Market on Flushing Avenue around 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 19, his owner said.
“It was heartbreaking. This is my childhood dog and I’ve had him forever,” said Bre Kelly.
The 21-year-old student brought Theo for a three-block stroll from her Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment to the market at the corner of Humboldt Street and tied him up outside — she returned 15 minutes later to find he’d vanished, with only his leash left behind.
Owners at the store gave Kelly access to their security feed, which shows one man roughly handling the dog — dragging the 25-pound canine by the collar, before grabbing him — while an accomplice keeps a lookout.
Kelly was stunned by the random act of cruelty.
“I was frankly baffled,” she said. “I really didn’t think that was something that’s possible that someone would steal a dog.”
Kelly got Theo from a Manhattan shelter when she was 10 years old and her furry pal has been at her side ever since.
“I’ve had him through a divorce and six moves — and all through college,” she said.
The missing furball suffers numerous health conditions, including arthritis, pancreatitis, liver issues, gingivitis, and tumors on his legs and stomach.
“Pretty much anything wrong he’s got it,” she said. “This isn’t a puppy.”
The dog is also hard of hearing and has separation anxiety — Theo once developed a belly rash after Kelly was forced to travel for a week, she said.
But none of that has made Kelly love Theo any less, and she’s desperate to be reunited with her old friend.
“It’s work to take care of him but it’s a big part of my life,” Kelly said.
Kelly has been posting flyers all over the neighborhood, and is offering a large cash reward with no questions asked and says that she won’t press charges if she gets him back.
“All I want is for him to be home,” she said. “I don’t really care why they took him I just want him back.”
Theo has an underbite, cloudy eyes, and a lump on his upper thigh. Anyone with information can reach Bre Kelly at (201) 788-5326.
