$500 reward offered for missing dog statue

Warwick — Sometime on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 10, a person or persons stole a Guiding Eyes for the Blind Donation Dog statue that had been sitting outside Fetch Bar & Grill, 48 Main St. in the Village of Warwick. The small donations collected by the Yellow Lab replica were intended to help defray the cost of Frontline and Heartworm medications for puppies raised by volunteers to become Guide Dogs for the blind and visually impaired. Guiding Eyes, headquartered in Yorktown Heights, is an internationally accredited, nonprofit guide dog school providing the blind and visually impaired with Guiding Eyes dogs, training, and lifetime support services. Warwick resident Cheryl De Vine, an Orange County region volunteer “puppy raiser,” is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the return of the statue. The theft has also been reported to the Warwick Police Department. “There are blind people waiting to get these dogs,” said De Vine, “and the donations collected by this Donation Dog help offset the out of pocket costs of medications paid by volunteers who raise the puppies.” Because of the considerable expense involved in producing and importing these statues from Australia, the value of the stolen Donation Dog could possibly exceed New York State’s $1,000 threshold for fourth-degree grand larceny. “I feel terrible about this,” said Adam Powers, owner of Fetch Bar & Grill. “I’m sure this is the work of pranksters and has no value to them. It’s just a piggy bank for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and whoever took it should just give it back.” Anyone with any information about the dog or knowledge of her whereabouts should call De Vine at 845-544-0638 or the Warwick Police Department at 986-3423. The Donation Dog statue may also be returned to the Albert Wisner Public Library at any time.