A care bag filled with food, toys, and puppy pads meant for Reggie, a dachshund puppy rescued from St. Croix after Hurricane Irma, was stolen off a Steamship Authority baggage cart in Vineyard Haven on Sunday after the M/V Woods Hole docked at 12:45 pm.
Angels Helping Animals Worldwide founder and director Leslie Hurd told The Times she carried Reggie in his crate to her car and then returned to the baggage cart to collect the bag, and found it was gone. Steamship Authority staff told her that on security video, an unidentified woman in white could be seen taking Reggie’s package. Ms. Hurd said she hoped somebody would come forward upon discovering that they’d taken the package in error, but that has yet to occur.
The package was a gift from Reggie’s former foster caregiver on the Cape, Ms Hurd said. Sans package, Reggie was safely settled with his new foster caregivers on the Vineyard, she said. Reggie’s sister, Reese, is also in foster care on-Island, Ms. Hurd said.
Angels Helping Animals Worldwide adoption counselor Ashley Medeiros posted strong words on Facebook about the thief.
“Shoutout to the disgusting human that took an entire bag of donations to our shelter off of the SSA luggage cart,” she wrote. “It was no mistake that you took an entire bag full of dog food, toys, and other items.”
According to Tisbury Police, a detective was recently sent to the Steamship Authority terminal to investigate the matter.
Steamship Authority director of security Larry Ferreira told The Times that he plans to review footage from the time of the theft to see what further he is able to determine.
Overall, Ms. Hurd said that Islanders have been quite supportive of her organization. She pointed out that the Black Dog has been especially helpful by holding biannual adoption events, and that Crane Appliance donated a refrigerator, washer, and dryer to the organization.
For those interested, Ms. Medeiros said Angels Helping Animals Worldwide has three small dogs looking for homes currently, and four medium-size dogs are en route to the Island and will be available after the holidays.
Oak Bluffs Fire and EMS office administrator Cindy Hatt wrote in an email to The Times that she will hang flyers at the fire station and other town offices seeking donations to replace the items stolen. In a subsequent telephone call, she said Angels Helping Animals Worldwide can be reached via their web and Facebook pages. She also said the Oak Bluffs Fire Station has agreed to be a drop off point for donations. “Residents may drop off bags of food, toys and blankets over the holidays.” The fire station is located at 6 Firehouse Lane in Oak Bluffs. The lobby is open Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30.
Ms. Hatt said she recently adopted Gia, a Chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix, from St. Thomas thanks to the organization, and is loving her new dog.
