PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A family is asking for help after their dog, described as a source of comfort for a young child with autism, was taken from outside their home late last year.
Mahia, a 9-month-old Yorkie, belongs to Daretcabel Lapuerta and her 4-year-old son, Dalex.
Family members say Dalex has autism and is non-verbal, except when he is with the dog, whom they consider his therapy dog.
Through a translator, Serenity Rosario, Dalex’s mother, described the bond between her son and Mahia.
“He was attached to the dog; he didn’t really talk, but he knew the dog’s name. He was verbal with the dog. He did a lot with the dog,” Rosario said.
The family says Mahia was taken in late December after Dalex accidentally let the dog outside. She did not have a collar on at the time.
Home surveillance video shows a person taking the dog from outside the family’s house on E. Indiana Street in Kensington. Rosario described what happened next.
“He seen the dog walking right here, and just grabbed the dog and left, put it in his car and left,” she said.
Since Mahia disappeared, the family says Dalex has been deeply affected. They say he continues to look at photos of the dog and repeatedly says her name.
“He’s constantly looking at the picture, saying Mahia. He cries about the dog,” Rosario said.
The family is now publicly pleading for the dog’s return and is offering a $2,500 reward, no questions asked. They say their only goal is to reunite Mahia with Dalex.
“She wants her dog back, and her son asks for her every day,” Rosario said.
Police say they are investigating the incident, but the video is not clear enough to identify the person who took the dog.