Car stolen in South Phila. - with her dog inside

Update: Philadelphia police found J.J. Pierce's stolen car Tuesday night, but her dog, Louie, is still missing. The car was found on the 3600 block of N. Darien Street, near Rising Sun Avenue in North Philadelphia, police said. Louie, who has been missing since Thursday, was nowhere to be seen, police said. Pierce wrote on her Facebook page, Help Louie Get Home, that she plans to hand out fliers in the area in the hopes of finding the 2-year-old black Labrador mix.

Earlier Story:

A Philadelphia high school teacher is searching for her beloved black Labrador mix after her car was stolen last week - with the dog inside.

J.J. Pierce, who recently moved to Philadelphia for a teaching job and to earn a master's degree, says she went to the Home Depot on the 1600 block of Columbus Avenue last Thursday about 8 p.m. to copy a set of keys.

She brought along Louie, 2, because the dog loved to ride in the car, she said, and had recently taken to sticking his head out the window on drives.

Pierce locked the car - a red 2001 Honda CR-V, with Washington, D.C., tags - with Louie inside for what she knew would be a quick trip inside the store, she said. When she came out - no more than seven minutes later, she said - both car and dog were gone.

"I thought it could not be real," Pierce said. "I kept waiting to wake up and realize it was a dream."

She called police and spent an hour and a half driving around the neighborhood looking for Louie. No sign of him. An investigation into the incident continues, Officer Jillian Russell, a police spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

Pierce said a Home Depot manager told her that the parking lot was under video surveillance and that cameras had captured blurry footage of a car pulling up next to hers, then both cars pulling away a few minutes later. She said the manager told her it was impossible to tell from the video whether Louie was still in the car as it pulled away.

Now, Pierce has taken to social media in an effort to find her dog, with a page called Help Louie Get Home. She said she has received several tips and sightings of dogs who look like Louie, but none of them has turned out to be the right dog. She said Louie, a rescue dog, frightens easily.

"He was in really bad shape when I got him, and he's come a long way," she said. "I hate that he's going through something else now."

Anyone with information on the dog's whereabouts may call Third District Police at 215-686-3030 or e-mail Pierce at getlouiehome@gmail.com.

215-854-2961

@aubreyjwhelan