Woman’s car is stolen in Arkansas with her dog inside. ‘I just want Opal back’

A 5-pound dog named Opal is missing after a running SUV she was in was stolen in Arkansas, her owner says.

April Dooley said in a Facebook post she parked outside a business in Little Rock’s SoMa neighborhood at 4:40 p.m. on July 7. She left Opal in the Honda CRV with the air conditioning running, but within 10 minutes, both the vehicle and the dog were gone.

In an interview with KTHV, Dooley said she is in shock over the incident.

“It just happened so quickly, like it was less than 10 minutes,” she told the station. “It’s just like, who does this? How does this happen?”

Dooley said she filed a police report within minutes and has also called animal clinics within the area.

She told KARK she was traveling to Kansas City to sign her next travel nurse contract. Now, she is searching for her missing dog and has looked around the SoMa neighborhood multiple times.

Opal is described as a 5-pound red/brown cavapoo — a mix of a King Charles cavalier and a poodle.

Dooley’s Honda CRV is white with black wheels and tinted windows. It has an Alabama license plate No. 7534BF4.

“The car is what it is, I just want Opal back,” Dooley said in her Facebook post. “I’m somewhere between shock/disbelief and deep sadness.”

A woman accused of stealing the vehicle was captured in surveillance footage a neighboring business gave Dooley, according to KARK.

Little Rock police said it is investigating the incident, KTHV reported.

This story was originally published July 9, 2024 at 9:12 AM with the headline "Woman’s car is stolen in Arkansas with her dog inside. ‘I just want Opal back’."