By DogHeirs Team

Update July 3, 2012: The Peterborough Humane Society received an anonymous tip that Bailey was tied to a tree near their offices. 

"They called and said they thought they had Bailey and I pretty much said, ‘We’ll be right there," Leslie Smith said.

"We can’t thank everyone enough for helping Lukas get his dog back,” she said. “We’re so happy to have him back. We are complete once again. Lukas doesn’t know what to think about it other than puppy was gone and now puppy is back."

The family received many calls over the weekend from concerned animal lovers after they read the story of Bailey’s disappearance.

"One call was from a gentleman and his wife offering to either pay the reward money or chip in to get Lukas another dog," Smith said.

A four-year-old child with special needs and his Peterborough family are in anguish after the boy’s dog was stolen from in front of the No Frills grocery store on George St. Thursday.

"This is heartbreaking," said Leslie Smith, of Sherbrooke St., the mother of Lukas. "We need this dog back."

The dog, a three-year-old Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix, was a gift to Lukas from his grandparents after Lukas’s father, 39-year-old Alex Florent, was killed in a motor vehicle collision two weeks before Christmas 2010.

"Bailey was pretty much the only thing that made Lukas happy after the death of his father," Smith said.

Lukas, who goes to Five Counties Children’s Centre twice a week to improve his speech and fine-motor skills, was devastated by his father’s death, Smith said. "We'd visit the dog (which belonged to Mr. Florent’s parents) and started taking it on weekends. We've had it about a year. He was the baby. He's just like one of my own and Lukas and him are best buddies.

Bailey was stolen when Leslie’s boyfriend, Sam Roy, took him for his walk and tied his leash to a bicycle rack outside the downtown grocery store at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday.

"I was inside for about 10 minutes," said Roy. "When I came out he was gone."

Bailey would not have gone willingly with whoever took him, Smith said. "Whoever took him must have carried him away or put him in a car."

Lukas has been distraught since his dog went missing. The boy has barely slept since Bailey has been gone and he's called the dog's name in his sleep throughout the night. "It's horrible. He won't eat and he hasn’t gone to day care for two days," said Smith.

"Bailey is what pulled him out of his father's death. He was the first thing Lukas went to every morning. He was the dog's care giver. He fed him, gave him his treats and took him for walks," said Smith.

"If we don’t get him back, I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen. It would crush my little boy."

Smith says the family will pay a $200 reward for Bailey’s return. 

Bailey is a three-year-old Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix with brown with white spots on his face, nose and chest, and was wearing a green scarf tied to his neck. He was last seen outside of the No Frills grocery store on 230 George Street, Peterborough, Ontario at 9:45 am on Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service at 705-876-1122, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or Leslie Smith at 705-930-9437.

NeighborHound Watch | Add A NeighborHound Alert