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Missing pooches reunited with owners; police arrest woman in connection with theft of car, dogs
By: YVETTE URREA - Staff Writer | ∞
Dogs Mimi, left, and Poxy were back in the arms of their happy owners Michelle McCarthy and Frank Bless after the dogs were taken when the owners' car was stolen from the parking lot of the Palomar Family YMCA in Escondido.
DON BOOMER Staff Photographer
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ESCONDIDO -- The story of Mimi and Poxy, two Escondido pets who were dognapped when their owners' car was stolen, ended happily Wednesday with an emotional reunion at a South Bay animal shelter, and the suspected car thief behind bars.
Frank and Michelle Bless were out of town when they got a call about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday letting them know that the woman suspected of stealing their car had been arrested, and their dogs were being held in an East County shelter.
They caught the next flight to San Diego for the reunion, said Laurie Joniaux, regional director for the county's Animal Services.
It was "fantastic," Frank Bless said of getting the call. "They'll definitely get some extra treats when they get home. We'll cuddle a lot," he said.
The call came after officers spotted the Bless' vehicle at 9:37 a.m. and notified Escondido police, who chased and arrested Mercedes Cortelezzi, 21, of Carlsbad, Lt. Tom Albergo said.
A patrol officer tried to pull Cortelezzi over, but the driver refused and crashed into a tree at Indian Place and Midway Drive and allegedly attempted to run the officer over, he said.
Cortelezzi was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, evading police, possession of stolen property and a parole violation, a sheriff's sergeant said.
Later in the afternoon, as the Blesses waited in front of the Bonita Animal Shelter, an attendant brought them their pooches.
"They were just pulling on the animal caretaker because they were so excited and they could see (their owners). It was really cute. They were howling and they were jumping on them. It was really sweet," said Joniaux.
The owners dropped to their knees and hugged and kissed the dogs, she said. The couple said the 3-year-old Boston and rat terrier mixes did not look the worse for wear, and they were very happy about that, Joniaux said.
The dogs were in the Infiniti on Sunday afternoon in a YMCA parking lot in Escondido when it was stolen, and were apparently turned loose in Lakeside sometime after that, Animal Services authorities said. They were found by a good Samaritan on Tuesday, who contained the friendly dogs and called the shelter, Joniaux said.
Authorities said that while they do not advise people to leave pets alone in a car, they did not consider the Blesses negligent. Animal Services spokeswoman Lesley Kirk said there is a law that makes it illegal to leave pets in a vehicle with the windows rolled up, but that was not the situation in this case.
The litter mates, who were raised by the Blesses since they were 8 weeks old, were both implanted with microchips, Joniaux said.
The dogs were scanned Tuesday, but the owners were not notified until Wednesday after police confirmed with the shelter that they were the missing dogs, she said.
Joniaux said that the best part of the story is the message it sends to pet owners about implanting microchips.
"It's extremely important because every shelter in town scans for them. It's the quickest, fastest way to get your animal home because tags or collars can come off," she said.
Frank Bless said they are grateful for the microchips.
"Everybody should have it," he said. "It's a fantastic program."
-- Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com.
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Cece wrote on May 3, 2007 5:29 AM:Cute story, I am a little fuzzy on how the owners were out of town and the dogs were in a car at the Y? They must have left town after the theft? ...
What?? wrote on May 3, 2007 7:05 AM:Oh we love our dogs so we lock them in a car for an hour while we work out. Oh we love our dogs and are heartbroken that they're missing. Oh we love our dogs - What? You found them? Then we'll come back from our vacation to retrieve them. Who the heck can just leave town while "supposely" the love of their lives are missing? Again, (since they're the ones who used the "they're like our kids" card) if their kid(s) went missing or were stolen would they think about leaving town in that situation as well? ...
To Cece wrote on May 3, 2007 8:42 AM:They weren't out of town when the dogs were in the car at the Y ... they were out of town when they learned the person who stole their car was found and their dogs were alright.
Pete Nice wrote on May 3, 2007 9:02 AM:To CeCe: It turns out they went out of town after the dogs were stolen along with the car. To the car thief: Why would you steal a car with a couple of yappers in the back seat? Not too smart!
Happy Ending wrote on May 3, 2007 9:26 AM:While I am happy that they were reunited with their dogs, let this be a lesson to them that they shouldn't leave their dogs in the car for any period of time. Hopefully they stick with pets if this is they way they treat the "kids" they have now.
Mike and Tori wrote on May 3, 2007 12:53 PM:Just a comment to all who have admonished Frank and Michelle for having their dogs in the car when it was stolen. The focus of this story has been shifted from ... who stole their car...to Frank and Michelle for leaving their dogs in their car. Maybe it would be better to leave the dogs chained up in the back yard all day without attention? Or treat them like family and take them along. And to those people who ask if they would leave their children in the car unattended... Mimi and Poxy are 3 human years (1 human year = 7 dog years) that makes them 21 in dog years...I would leave a 21 year old in the car. The Frank and Michelle obviously love their dogs and would never put them in harms way. People need a reality check... Shift the focus back on ...who [allegedly] stole their car crashed it and attempted to slaughter a police officer... Not on the pet owners who love their dogs enough to make them a part of the family and not just open a can of dog food and pat their head once a day.
To Mike & Tori wrote on May 3, 2007 4:07 PM:The loser that stole the car will certainly get hers and I am very happy to hear their dogs were found safe. However, they should not be absolved of their negligent behavior either. The dogs could have survived an hour alone while they worked out. In fact, I would imagine most animals would prefer to be in an area where they can run around while they wait for their parents to return instead of being stuck in a car with only a fraction of the space. My only hope is that they learned something from all of this.
To Mike and Tori wrote on May 3, 2007 4:30 PM:Here's a reality check ... this wouldn't be a story if the dogs wouldn't have been taken with the car. Cars are stolen every day and they never get 3 days of media attention unless the car also contained living creatures (human or otherwise) that were inappropriately left unattended.
Erika wrote on May 4, 2007 9:16 AM:To: Mike and Tori, well, I suppose that the Bless' we targeted because they had the windows rolled down. if you were a crazy theif would you perfer breaking a window or taking the car that had their windows rolled down? Simple! I'm happy to hear that the Bless' got their 'children' back, but this definately should be a lesson learned!
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