It's not a store known for pets, but someone walked out of the Bellevue Walmart with a small dog. Another customer says that's his best friend and wants her back. How did a dog end up inside the store and leave with strangers?
"It was just everything I had.” Mabry Word carried his miniature dachshund into the store, but the mistake compounded when his medication wore off. “She didn't have her collar on and I wasn't acting right. I just need my little buddy back.”
Disoriented and confused, Mabry left little “Sissy” in a grocery cart, then left the store with his sister. His niece returned to look for the dog. “They said the person standing in line behind my uncle went up to customer service and said I'll just take that dog home then,” says Jessica Rowe-Silva.
“This is a unique incident involving an abandoned puppy. Once the customer offered to help with the situation, we trusted she had good intentions. After reviewing the video, we now believe that was not the case. We have apologized to the customer and right now are focusing our efforts on working with law enforcement to find the puppy and returning it to its rightful owner. We’re committed to providing any and all information we have, including surveillance video of the woman who was last seen with the puppy. It’s hard to comprehend how someone could possibly try to steal someone’s beloved pet and we truly hope this customer and his puppy will soon be reunited.”
Walmart is helping police identify the customer who claimed the dog. An image pulled from Walmart’s security camera shows a family leaving the store and a girl, perhaps a teenager, holding what police believe is the 9-month-old dachshund.
Sissy has no collar or identification chip, so Mabry’s family hopes the customer claiming the dog intended to look for her owner, but can't find him. “I thank you for taking care of her in her hour of need, but I beg you to please bring her back,” says Mabry’s sister, Joan Rowe.
Mabry just moved to Bellevue from Utah so his family can help him deal with mental lapses. They say Sissy helped keep him grounded, so she's need for more than just companionship. “I hope the people who took her will realize that this puppy is important to us and will bring her home,” says Joan.
Police are treating this as a case of a misplaced dog. If you have information on how to find the miniature dachshund, call police at 402-293-3100.
The 16 year old who took the dog thought Mabry had abandoned the dog and didn't want it to go to the pound.
