Vicki Bunnie spent most of Monday walking the streets of Harewood and central Nanaimo looking for her children’s dog, Molly.
The six-month old rottweiler, shepherd, Labrador cross, was tied up outside London Drugs at Port Place Shopping Centre on Sunday.
Bunnie checked on her at about 5:30 p.m., but when her nine-year-old son went to check on Molly at about 5:45 p.m. Molly was gone.
Bunnie called police and spoke with mall security who advised her there was a security camera covering that area. Security footage revealed an image of a man on a bright lime green bicycle allegedly making off with a dog.
“My one-year-old daughter is used to waking up to Molly and my son plays with her after school,” Bunnie said. “She’s missed. I’ve been keeping positive that we’re going to get her back.”
Bunnie said her son jokes with her frequently and her first thought when he told her Molly was gone was that he was playing a prank. The family has been searching for the dog since.
She said the man who allegedly took her dog has been spotted in Harewood.
“I started walking the streets yesterday morning at 9:30 a.m. and I didn’t get home ’til almost 10 last night,” Bunnie said.
She got a tip about Molly Tuesday afternoon.
“There’s one lady on Townsite, right behind the 7-Eleven, who told me that there was a gentleman with a neon green bike that went to her place and asked if she wanted to buy a puppy. She told him she’d have to talk to her family and think about it,” Bunnie said.
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said police are narrowing their search.
“We have several people of interest,” O’Brien said.
Molly is tan and black and was wearing a red collar with a dog tag bearing the name “Bunnie.”
Anyone with information, please call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, text 274637 with keyword Nanaimo or submit a tip online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.