MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Rossville woman says her beloved dogs were in the back seat of her car when it was stolen from a friend’s driveway on Union Avenue in Memphis.
Kacey Brunson admits she left her car running when she stopped by a friend’s house to say goodbye. She said she was only inside the house for mere minutes, and when she came outside, her car and her dogs, Zoey and Avery, were gone.
“My stomach dropped,” said Brunson. “I was looking everywhere for them because I didn’t know if the person had let them out of the car or what had happened.”
Brunson told police her wallet and cell phone were inside her Ford Fiesta, and the items were last tracked to the 5100 block of Summer Avenue, but it would be three more days before they located her car.
“I was just walking around hoping either they were still in the car or by the car and that it was going to be found quickly,” she said.
The car was taken on April 8. On April 11, police got a call about a suspicious vehicle in the 5600 block of Shelby Oaks Drive and found Brunson’s Fiesta and her dogs.
“Luckily, it was in the shade, and the window was down for the girls. Also, it was still cool out. If it had been summertime, it could have been a completely different story,” Brunson said.
Brunson said she had just purchased a 50-pound bag of dog food, and the dogs managed to open it up and feed themselves.
“I have a hatchback, so it was in the very back, and they found it and ripped it into the food,” She said.
Brunson said she always keeps a couple of one-gallon jugs of water in her car and said her clever dogs were able to get the lid off the containers and drink some water.
“It was one of my pet peeves. They would always get my water bottle and unscrew the cap. Well, they did that with the water,” said Brunson. “They pretty much fed and watered themselves.”
Police got some fingerprints and found a Tennessee driver’s license in Brunson’s vehicle but so far have not made an arrest.
Brunson said the car thief took her phone and some credit cards, but she only cared about getting back her dogs.
“It was very hard. I had tear-filled days. I kind of felt like I was going crazy because I didn’t know where to look,” she said.
Brunson said she is thankful officers were able to find her car as quickly as they did, and her dogs are safe.
“Now, I always keep making it a habit to keep dog food in the car, just in case. I would hope this never happens again, but better safe than sorry.”
If you know anything about the car theft, call CrimeStoppers at (901)-528-CASH.
