Cleremont, FL: Car, GSD stolen on Thanksgiving

[Karin]

This is so sad. I sure hope that Lady is found soon and unhurt. It looks like she's a very much loved member of this family.

CLERMONT, Fla.

A family's car was stolen with their dog inside, Clermont police said. The car was stolen outside of a bank when the driver stopped at an ATM, said police. The family said they don't care about the car; they just want their dog back.

The car was left running while the owner went around the corner to an ATM. Police said someone must have been watching and was ready to jump into action when they saw the chance.

Barbara Burch's 2006 red PT Cruiser was stolen, but it's her stolen dog that has her most upset. "He had our dog, Lady, and she was lying down asleep in the back," Burch said.

Burch's husband pulled up to the Bank of America on State Road 50 in Clermont around 7:00 p.m. Thursday night. "He hops out of the car and leaves his keys and the car running," Burch said. As her husband headed to the ATM around the corner, he said he heard something that caught his attention. "As quickly as he did that, someone jumped in the car and took off. He even heard the door slam," Burch said. The car screeched off and headed eastbound on State Road 50 with the Burch's beloved 7-year-old German shepherd inside, said investigators.

"Our car is fully insured. It's our dog. We can always get another car," Burch said. Lady's owners said she's microchipped, but they wonder what the thief did once he realized the dog was in the car.

"I really don't know what happened, and my greatest fear is she may have been injured," Burch said.

On Thanksgiving, Burch said Lady would normally be feasting on turkey and sitting perched on her seat to welcome visitors.

"She's my dog, and she's everything to me. She's like a child," said Burch.

The stolen, 2006 red PT Cruiser has a Martin Luther King bumper sticker on the rear, left bumper and a veteran's sticker on the right.

The family said that Lady is a friendly dog and anyone that may have seen her or the car can contact WFTV or Clermont police.

Dog, car stolen from Clermont bank

Car stolen with family's German shepherd inside | www.wftv.com

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

Praying for Lady's safe return home.