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Woodridge, IL —
One of the owners of a dog stolen last week from a Woodridge home said members of her family are having a difficult time dealing with their loss.
“The children are taking it the hardest. They are devastated,” said Marina, a mother to a 9-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. “My 9-year-old son especially is really having a hard time with it.”
While members of this family continue to cope with the theft of their beloved pet, the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago is now working to reunite them with their dog.
Remy, a male black shih tzu/poodle mix with white spots, was stolen Jan. 7 from his home along the 6700 block of Harvest Avenue. Woodridge police and the family continue to search for the 3-year-old dog, who was taken while inside a wire dog crate along with other items from the home.
The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago has started a campaign called Bring Remy Home by notifying the public and the media in an effort to find the dog.
Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, said when members of the group heard about the story of the dog being taken from the home, they thought about a way to help find him, according to a statement on the organization’s website.
“We are offering the person or persons who took Remy the opportunity to bring the dog to the Anti-Cruelty Society or to make arrangements to get Remy to us, no questions asked, and we will make sure Remy is reunited with her family,” said Barbiers in the statement.
Barbiers could not be reached for immediate comment at the Anti-Cruelty Society’s office at 157 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago.
The statement indicated that a few years ago, another dog named Reba was taken from a Chicago-area home, and Reba was returned to the shelter and was reunited with her family without any questions.
The Woodridge dog’s owner, Marina, who lives in the home with her husband and two children. She said the family is getting a lot of support in trying to reunite them with Remy.
“We are most definitely grateful to be getting this type of support from the Anti-Cruelty Society and other animal shelter groups in an effort to bring Remy home,” she said.
The Woodridge Reporter is not releasing the family’s last name or their address at their request to ensure the family’s security.
One of the owners of a dog stolen last week from a Woodridge home said members of her family are having a difficult time dealing with their loss.
“The children are taking it the hardest. They are devastated,” said Marina, a mother to a 9-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. “My 9-year-old son especially is really having a hard time with it.”
While members of this family continue to cope with the theft of their beloved pet, the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago is now working to reunite them with their dog.
Remy, a male black shih tzu/poodle mix with white spots, was stolen Jan. 7 from his home along the 6700 block of Harvest Avenue. Woodridge police and the family continue to search for the 3-year-old dog, who was taken while inside a wire dog crate along with other items from the home.
The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago has started a campaign called Bring Remy Home by notifying the public and the media in an effort to find the dog.
Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, said when members of the group heard about the story of the dog being taken from the home, they thought about a way to help find him, according to a statement on the organization’s website.
“We are offering the person or persons who took Remy the opportunity to bring the dog to the Anti-Cruelty Society or to make arrangements to get Remy to us, no questions asked, and we will make sure Remy is reunited with her family,” said Barbiers in the statement.
Barbiers could not be reached for immediate comment at the Anti-Cruelty Society’s office at 157 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago.
The statement indicated that a few years ago, another dog named Reba was taken from a Chicago-area home, and Reba was returned to the shelter and was reunited with her family without any questions.
The Woodridge dog’s owner, Marina, who lives in the home with her husband and two children. She said the family is getting a lot of support in trying to reunite them with Remy.
“We are most definitely grateful to be getting this type of support from the Anti-Cruelty Society and other animal shelter groups in an effort to bring Remy home,” she said.
The Woodridge Reporter is not releasing the family’s last name or their address at their request to ensure the family’s security.
Meanwhile, the family members who were victimized during the burglary said all they want is for Remy to return and can’t believe that someone would steal their pet from inside their home.
Marina said she discovered her home had been burglarized at about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 7 when she got home after picking up her kids from school. She noticed the door to the attached garage was wide open.
“At first, I thought that maybe someone had left it open by mistake or the wind had blown it open,” she said.
When she got out of the car, Marina noticed that the door frame had been damaged, as if someone had broken it open. She immediately called 911, not knowing if anyone was still in the house.
“The first thing my son had said after we realized the house had been broken into was he hoped Remy was OK,” she said. “At that point, we had no idea that he had been taken.”
When police arrived and walked through the house, and the family came back inside, the first thing Marina said she noticed was Remy was gone. The dog was kept in a silver metal-wire crate in the family room when the family would leave the house.
“We are still trying to figure out who would do something like this and why they would take our pet the way they did,” she said.
Other items taken include small electronic items, along with some liquor bottles, she said.
The family also praised the Woodridge Police Department and Detective Sgt. Thomas Stefanson for their help in trying to find Remy and the suspects who burglarized the home.
Stefanson said Jan. 13 that there haven’t been any leads to either the whereabouts of Remy or in identifying any suspects.
“This case has gotten a lot of attention from the media and the public, and we hope that helps us get some leads,” he said.
Marina said they have lived in the home for 11 years and that this kind of thing doesn’t happen in this section of town. She said she is unaware of any other burglaries that have occurred in that neighborhood recently.
Stefanson said earlier this week that there is no evidence to indicate the family or the home was personally targeted and that it may have been a random incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Woodridge Police Department at (630) 719-4740.
