Puppy Stolen At Gunpoint From D.C. Woman Whose Former Dog Died

WASHINGTON D.C. — A Northeast D.C. woman is on the hunt for her puppy after she says he was stolen from her at gunpoint. In August she lost another dog that died during a flash flood at a dog day-care business.

Teffiney Worthy, who claims her former puppy died earlier this year at District Dogs due to a flood and negligence, said in a GoFundMe post her life was threatened with a weapon if she did not give up her dog, Hendrix.

"It seems like a double loss this year for me," Worthy said on the GoFundMe. " ... Please help with funding to find a private investigator and reward money so that my pup can get home safe and swiftly. He’s literally been my support, my anchor."

She told WTOP News the loss has been traumatizing for her.

"For this to happen, for someone to just take my dog, where I stay, it’s overwhelming,” Worthy told the outlet.

She added Hendrix, a 6-month-old French bulldog, was taken around 4 p.m. Saturday in the area of a gas station.

As of around 1:15 p.m. Monday, Worthy had raised nearly $3,000 of her $7,500 goal.

Heavy rains that swamped parts of the DC area Aug. 14 created a flash flood that inundated District Dogs in Northeast DC on Rhode Island street, drowning several pets, authorities said.

Six feet of water pushed in the wall of the business, which then collapsed and allowed the floodwater to inundate the business, NBC Washington reported. Firefighters rescued seven employees and 20 dogs.

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly called the employees heroes who did everything they could to save the dogs.

The water rose nearly 6 feet in a few minutes, which is when one of the walls buckled. Firefighters who were nearby helping stuck drivers saw several people swimming out of the building, WTOP reported.

Firefighters helped District Dogs’ employees break down drywall, working in what Donnelly described as a “very hard and rough situation to work in.”

“It’s unbearable,” Donnelly said. “This is losing a member of your family or being scared that you did … It’s a terrible thing.”