If you need a reminder of why you should never leave your dog in the car, this story should drive the point home. An Alabama woman’s 2-year-old Cavapoo went missing after she left her in a vehicle while picking up an online order at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
Cavapoo Vanishes in Plain Sight
Lindsay Cochran, a 38-year-old paralegal from Cahaba Heights, parked her car at The Summit mall in Birmingham last week. She left it locked and running with her fur baby, Birdie, still inside. When Cochran returned to the car approximately 10 minutes later, the passenger-side window was down and the pup was nowhere to be found.
Cochran searched for Birdie around The Summit and nearby areas for three hours after the dog went missing. She also contacted mall security to inform them about Birdie’s disappearance. But Birdie did not reappear.
“She’s one of those dogs that has to have her eyes on you the whole time,” Cochran told AL.com. “I could see her at (the front door) of the store. But I cannot see her taking off and wandering aimlessly.”
Cochran is devastated as the pooch is her best friend. The two are inseparable.
“I can’t even put her in a crate to sleep,” Cochran told AL.com. “That’s why it’s very upsetting. That’s why if she’s with someone else, she’s miserable. She’s skittish around strangers and other dogs. She wants to be where I am at all times.”
Cochran believes Birdie’s disappearance is due to the dog getting scared and somehow rolling down the window — that, or someone got inside the car and stole her.
“I don’t know what scenario happened,” Cochran told AL.com.
There is no security camera footage to confirm or deny Cochran’s theories.
Dog Mom on a Mission
Birdie is microchipped, so it is Cochran’s hope that the dog will turn up and a Good Samaritan will take her to the vet to be identified. Approximately 30 vets in the Birmingham area now know about Birdie and an Amber Alert was issued to veterinarians as well.
Despite returning to the scene several times, Cochran still has not found her fur baby. Store owners, however, have generously offered to put posters of Birdie in their storefront windows.
“It really does remind you there are good people,” Cochran said. “Everyone is so kind. Security and complete strangers are looking for her.”
Cochran launched a Facebook page titled “Bring Back Birdie” and over 1,700 people are now following it. She is also offering a $2,500 award for information leading to Birdie’s safe return.
Though word is spreading quickly about Birdie on social media, so far, Cochran has only received false alarms, like a report that Birdie was for sale on a trading website; unfortunately, the dog in question was a Yorkie. Another time, someone claimed to have Birdie, but when Cochran met up with them, it wasn’t her pup.
“It was a different dog,” Cochran said. “That dog is now reunited with their owner. But it wasn’t Birdie.”
Cochran seems to believe that she will be reunited with her dog, if only the right person will Bring Back Birdie.
