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Boston woman begs car thief to return beloved dog

BOSTON — A Boston woman is desperately trying to find her dog after a thief stole her SUV Sunday morning with the beloved pet sitting in the back seat.

Rosa Nese said she left her dog, Chief, inside her running SUV at 8:45 a.m. while she went into a convenience store in East Boston’s Orient Heights neighborhood to buy a lottery ticket.

In six minutes Nese’s world fell apart.

“At 8:51 (a.m.), I came out and saw my car was missing,” she said. “I went hysterical because my dog, Chief, was in it.”

Surveillance cameras showed a man get into the SUV and drive off with Chief in the back seat.

The dog has now been the focus of an intense search by Nese’s friends and family, who have set up what amounts to a war room inside her East Boston apartment.

Chief has been Nese’s companion for quite some time, and was especially helpful through difficult times last year.

"He's basically a lovable yellow lab. Friendly, he loves everybody and everything," Nese said. "He rescued me actually. A year ago my mother passed away, and two days later, I had a fire and I lost my home."

The search for the vehicle, a white Hyundai Santa Fe with license plate 6ZG441 and an Italian flag on the back, and the dog is ongoing.

The vehicle returned to the store just after 11 p.m. Sunday, but didn't stop after the driver spotted someone in the parking lot.

In the end, Nese said she isn't worried about the thief taking her car.

"I really don't care about the car," Nese said. "I just want Chief back. It's been a long day now."

Chief is microchipped and was wearing a collar with tags.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Chief is asked to call police.

CREW THIS IS IMPORTANT TODAY SOMEONE STOLE OUR CLIENTS CAR IN EAST BOSTON UP IN ORIENT HEIGHTS WITH CHIEF THE YELLOW...

Posted by Harbor Hounds on Sunday, May 6, 2018

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