Gifts, retail items, and mail deliveries aren’t the only items being stolen during the holiday season.
It seems that little dogs are as well.
I am aware of her fear. The 44-year-old Tralee-Hale-Ringo told 6ABC, “I know that she misses me.” In exchange for her 10-year-old Shih Tzu’s safe return, she is giving $1,000.
On October 28, just before 9:30 a.m., Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo’s mother was robbed when she was shopping for Halloween candy at a Target store on Castor Avenue in the Port Richmond district of Philadelphia.
Hale-Ringo said that although she typically places her dog in the shopping cart, on this particular day, her dog was out and about with her.
She was separated from the dog when she went to the restroom.
I opened the door and kind of hurried in, but she didn’t even clear it. I was certain she would be waiting for me on the opposite side of the opening. Hale Ringo remarked, “And when she wasn’t, I knew immediately that something had happened.”
She continued, “I never thought of stealing because she is so well-behaved and well-trained.”
The little puppy was gone by the time she emerged, which was little more than a minute later.
Authorities on Tuesday released CCTV footage and images showing a group of four young adults and a toddler leaving the Port Richmond business with the dog.
Hale-Ringo called for her dog and rushed to the store’s security after realizing her dog was gone, but it was too late.
Hale-Ringo told 6ABC that the dog, which had an external Apple Airtag monitoring device on its collar, was abandoned close to the 2800 block of Aramingo Avenue, where it was last seen over a month ago.
Hale Ringo told the news source, “Without my daughter, I’m lost.” I’m simply lost and in shock. For the past ten years, she has been my best friend. She supported me the entire time I battled breast cancer.
Hale-Ringo is now giving $1,000 to anyone who gives the dog back to the police without hesitation in order to reclaim her cherished pet.
She said that no charges will be brought, and that maybe that would help with their Christmas. She wants to return home because she misses us.
Furthermore, the little puppy was probably not misidentified as a stray.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hale-Ringo claimed that her dog was decked out in a dress, jewelry, and a hair tie. She also had her tail dyed pink and her nails painted, as is customary for October in support of breast cancer awareness.
Hale-Ringo and her son had long regarded the dog as a member of the family, but the opportunistic theft during the holidays has definitely dampened the fun.
She said, “She’s my daughter, and I have one son.”
All I can hope for is that the people who took her will see this and realize how much I adore and miss my puppy, and they will have the heart to give her back. She continued, “I just hope that these people have a heart.”
If anyone knows where the dog is, they can call East Detectives at 215-686-3250.
Stories by
EmilyAnn Jackman
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