Family Devastated as Beloved Dog Stolen Near Lincoln Park Daycare: Chicago Crime on the Rise

CHICAGO (WLS) — A distressed pet owner from Chicago’s North Side is fervently appealing for the return of her family dog, which was recently stolen.

The heartache began when Charlie, a beloved 5-year-old canine, was last seen outside a local daycare. His owner, Erin Franzblau, had briefly tied him up to hurriedly pick up her children. Now, she holds onto hope that surveillance footage might lead to the individual responsible for taking him.

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The bond between Franzblau and Charlie, forged during the COVID-19 pandemic, has left a noticeable void at home.

“We waited a long time for him,” Franzblau recalled. “He came into our lives during the fall of COVID, a few years after my husband and I got married but before we had kids.”

According to Chicago police, the theft occurred just before 6 p.m. on Friday near the intersection of Armitage and Clifton avenues in Lincoln Park.

“We messed up in that I was running from a long day at work. My husband was out of town in Denver. I was alone picking up three kids: two toddlers and a baby. And, I was rushing,” Franzblau said. “I tied him up outside the daycare where there’s a window, where everyone can see him.”

When she came back out, Charlie was gone.

“Usually, he jumps up to greet us. He’s so excited to greet us, and we both see that he’s not there,” Franzblau said. “I start freaking out, asking people where he is.”

Franzblau says home surveillance video showed her dog with someone in a dark hoodie shortly after the pet was taken.

“She was asking people, ‘Whose dog is this? Whose dog is this?,’” Franzblau said. “She did unleash the dog, and take the dog, and walk west of Racine… “She was kind to him, but he was shaking.”

She’s pleading for his return, not only to only to the public, but also to the person who may have her canine son.

“We’re hopeful that someone is just taking care of him and going to get him back to us. But it is incredibly uncertain. We’re on edge. We’re crying,” Franzblau said. “It makes me so incredibly sad for him.”

The owner says Charlie is microchipped and was last wearing a collar with an address and phone number. She’s offering a $5,000 reward for the dog’s safe return, no questions asked.