Imagine somebody asking to hold your fluffy puppy – then driving off with it. Melissa Vega knows that feeling first hand.
"I just want him back and I'm frustrated now,” said an angry Vega.
Vega's Border-Terrier mix named Bailey is just three months old. She says a man swiped him Tuesday afternoon outside Vega's dad's dog training academy in southwest Miami-Dade County near the turnpike and Miller Dr.
Vega says the suspect drove onto the property and left his pickup truck in the driveway. He had a brief conversation with Vega’s dad, then convinced Melissa Vega to hand over the dog so he could snap a few pictures with it.
The puppy thief slammed his truck door shut, then sped off – backwards. He continued down the road, hit a van, spun his truck in the proper direction and drove off with the puppy inside in a dramatic getaway.
Vega said she thinks the sinister theft was all done for love.
"I feel that he was trying to get his girlfriend a present for valentines, and I really feel sorry for her having a boyfriend like that,” said Vega.
Miami-Dade police are looking for the thief. So is Vega, her dad and their friends.
Her message to the puppy stealer: “I will help you get another puppy, just give me mine back please."
Follow Steve Litz on Twitter at @stevenbcmiami.
