‘Just bring him home,’ Slidell man desperately searches for stolen dog

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A Slidell man is desperately searching for his Teacup Yorkie with medical needs, stolen out of his truck in the French Quarter January 3 on St. Phillip, near the corner of Royal.

Brian Robert Lee has been canvassing the area, digging for any information he can find on the five people who took his little buddy, Thunder.

A newly discovered surveillance video shows what appears to be a passerby confronting the group about the dog around the corner from where Thunder was taken from Lee’s truck on St. Phillip.

“They took him right out of the truck, they left the computer, they left everything else, but they took the dog. It’s sick,” Lee said.

Lee ran into a client’s house and left the truck running, keys in his pocket, thinking it was locked.

He came out to show the client his pup, who he calls “Thunder the Boy Wonder’, but the Yorkie was gone.

“I thought there’s no way someone took my dog and sure enough, the more I looked-- He’s gone. He’s gone,” Lee said. “Then I started panicking and I just started running.”

It’s been exactly a week now, but Lee won’t stop running around. Thunder is a nervous wreck without his family, including Lee’s devastated daughter.

“He does get scared like a baby, he’s really thin and, like I said, he needs medication,” Lee said. “He has to get back. He doesn’t get that, he’s dead. So, he’s going to be worth nothing to anybody. So, just bring him home otherwise, he’s not gonna survive.”

Other surveillance cameras captured different views that give us a better idea of what they were wearing, like a unique jacket that says “no bad vibes.”

Lee is leaving no stone unturned.

“On Craigslist, I’m trying to find him, but there’s a lot of different rumors that we’ve heard of this happening to other people,” Lee said. “Another lady told me they jumped over the fence to try to grab her dog. She had a little Pomeranian. So, we really need to stop this and we need to stop these people.”

Neighbors say dog thefts like this are happening more often.

“Why? There’s some value attached to these dogs or people just don’t want to pay the adoption fee or the breeders fee, so, they want to steal one,” Jeff Dorson with the Humane Society of Louisiana said.

Dorson says they field at least two dozen of these cases a year and that time is of the essence.

“They’re dog thieves, they know what they’re doing,” Dorson said. “These kind of crimes can only be solved with community help and input.”

There is now an over $1,750 reward for Thunder and the Humane Society will be the middle man in reuniting him with Lee.

If you have Thunder, knows who does, or have a tip, call 1-888-6-HUMANE (1-888-648-6263) or email info@humanela.org.

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