SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FLA. (WSVN) - A man and woman have been reunited with their dog, two days after it went missing.
Niño, a Yorkie mix, was found by Louise Dery who then called owner Sergio Quintero. Upon arrival, Thursday morning, Quintero confirmed it was his beloved Niño.
“Our dogs are essentially our kids. We don’t have kids of ourselves,” said owner Ana Rojas, “and as silly as it sounds, they really are part of the family at the end of the day.”
On Tuesday night, owners Rojas and Quintero parked their rented Toyota Corolla in front of their Southwest Ranches home, for no more 10 minutes, the couple said. Luna, a schnauzer, and Niño were left inside the car.
After grabbing some dog food from their home, the couple found their Corolla and both dogs missing, which happened between 11:30 p.m. and midnight.
They said they were about to leave the house when the incident happened.
It turns out two teens stole the rented vehicle and dumped the dogs nearby.
The vehicle was recovered the next day in Plantation, by police, who also took two teens into custody. They were both high school students.
“As human beings, could steal someone’s car first of all, and kids, which blows my mind,” Quintero said. “They steal the car and then there’s living animals, and they just dump them on the side of the road that late at night.”
Luna was returned to her owners, however Niño was not found inside of the car.
Dery found Niño in the back of her Southwest Ranches home. “He was in the back shaking, soaking wet. He must have spent the night in the rain, quiet distressed,” Dery said. “Last night, I went to the humane society, filled out a report and then came here, around the neighborhood, and went door to door to see if anybody knew of Niño.”
7News aired this story, and Dery’s friend saw it and told her about it.
“I’m extremely grateful. Honestly, she’s like an angel to me right now,” Quintero said. “She’s a blessing, and if it wasn’t for her, it could have been anyone who found my dog, and I just got lucky.”
The couple said they now want to press charges against the teens who took their rental.
They also want to thank all the 7News viewers who tried to help. “It’s really nice to see that people are willing to help others when they’re in need,” Quintero said.
The reunion was a happy ending for a family that’s now complete.
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