OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – A South Florida pet owner is distraught after she said her rental car was stolen in Oakland Park with her disabled dog in the backseat.
Wanda Ferrari told Local 10 News she has had her beloved pet, Zorra, for 13 years.
"Since she was a baby," Ferrari said.
Zorra, a disabled husky-shepherd mix, has been missing since Thursday afternoon.
"Somebody stole a car in two minutes with a pet disabled in the back, for God's sake," Ferrari said.
Ferrari said she had dropped her car off at an auto shop to be fixed.
With the loaner she was given and Zorra in the backseat, she then drove to the Dollar Tree off North Andrews Avenue in Oakland Park around 12:30 p.m.
Ferrari said she left Zorra in the 2005 S70 blue Volvo station wagon while she ran inside to get ice, and within minutes, the car had been stolen.
"The car was gone. I parked up front in handicap," she said.
Since then, Ferrari has been calling on authorities, friends, good Samaritans and now Local 10 News to help her find Zorra.
"I have been through a lot," Ferrari said. "I'm strong, but I'm tired."
Ferrari, a breast cancer survivor, just learned the cancer has returned. Her dog's disappearance is adding to her distress, and she said she fears the worst.
"There are a lot of places where they could have dumped the dog and put the dog on the side of the road," Ferrari said. "My poor baby could be sitting there dying right now."
The Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed it is investigating the vehicle theft.
BSO spokeswoman Miranda Grossman said the victim's phone and tablet were also inside the vehicle when it was stolen.