MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A dog owner says her prized pet is the victim of a canine crime and has the video to prove it.
Natalie Botton, a concerned pet owner spoke to 7News and showed surveillance video of someone taking her pet.
The owner is now pleading for its return, and she’s putting up her own money for a reward.
“We were just about to leave the house, and I gave Sugar some time to be in real grass because what we have inside is turf,” said Botton.
That time in real grass led to heartbreak just before 6 in the evening, Friday.
Surveillance video shows the moment Botton’s puppy was snatched off the sidewalk by a stranger.
“There was a black car right there in the footage,” said Botton.
For a split second, she thought he was concerned for the dog, but he casually drove off.
“I’m like, ‘No, that’s my dog!’ At that moment when he didn’t stop, I realized he wasn’t looking for me, he wasn’t looking for the owner of the dog,” said Botton.
Her children were watching the 3-month-old puppy while they waited for their rideshare. Moments before she planned to bring the puppy back into the house, he was gone.
They have lived in this neighborhood near 80th street and Hawthorne Avenue on Miami Beach for less than six months.
She said in the one month Sugar came into her family, he’s given so much to them.
“Sugar has brought a lot to us in just bringing me closer to my friends, my community, my neighborhood, my kids and even myself,” said Botton.
The mother of two has filed a police report and notes how the cruelty of one can be overshadowed by the kindness of others.
Still, what she wants now and what she hopes for is to be reunited with the puppy whose two brown markings reminded her of her own children, a sign she said they were all meant to be together.
“My hope is that you recognize that Sugar is not just a dog but part of our family. I want my dog back,” said Botton.
The owner is offering a $3,500 reward for its return.
She’s asking anyone with information to call her at 917-459-4456.
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