Teachers pleads for help in finding stolen dog

A Philadelphia school teacher is begging the public to help her find her beloved dog, Louie. But this isn't your typical missing pet story - Louie was stolen.

Louie has been missing for almost a week now. The dog was inside his owner's Honda CRV when it was stolen from the Home Depot parking lot in South Philadelphia.

The stolen car was later found in the 3600 block of Darien Street days later, but Louie wasn't in it - he is still missing.

JJ Pierce and her friends spent the rainy Wednesday afternoon canvassing the streets of North Philadelphia, handing out flyer after flyer with photos of Louie, offering a generous reward for the missing 2-year-old black lab mix.

JJ says, "I just can't imagine him being anywhere but with me, you know?"

Last Thursday night, JJ went to the Home Depot on South Columbus Boulevard to have some keys copied. She left Louie locked in her red Honda CRV in the parking lot.

She was only inside for about five minutes. However, when she came out, both her car and Louie were gone.

She tells us, "I couldn't believe it was true. I just kept staring at the parking lot, thinking they would drive back and say, 'Here's your dog.' They didn't. So after I got off the phone with the police, I called my mom and just broke down - and then it became real."

JJ searched around South Philadelphia - no Louie.

Then, last night, the stolen car was found in the 3600 block of North Darien Street in North Philadelphia.

JJ and her friends are thinking he might be nearby. In fact, a few neighbors said they had seen him.

JJ's friend, Jill Bernstein, says, "I just want to find him. I want to get him home. He needs to come home. He's a great dog."

JJ's also turned to social media, setting up a Facebook page called Help Louie Get Home. She'll do anything to get her beloved dog back.

"I don't care about the car. I am not worried about pressing charges. I just want my dog back."

Philadelphia police are investigating. They have the stolen vehicle and they're processing it for fingerprints.

Louie is a rescue dog and easily frightened. If you have any information, you can contact the 3rd police district or reach out to JJ on the Facebook page Help Louie Get Home.