Stolen Last Year, Dog Goes Missing Again, May Be In Patchogue

MEDFORD, NY — A 12-year-old Shetland sheepdog/border collie mix who was once stolen out of his owner's yard and thrown from a car on the side of the Long Island Expressway has gone missing again, and the owner believes her dog might be headed to Patchogue.

The dog, named Reilly, struggles with anxiety and fears strangers since the theft last year, according to owner Christine Gedde Bailey, who posted on Facebook about her pet's disappearance over the weekend. In that incident in January 2018, someone broke Bailey's fence and then snatched her dog.

"Tags and collar dumped in my driveway," she told Patch in a Facebook message.

But with the help of Facebook shares, he was found the next day. Witnesses said he was thrown from a car on a service road, she said.

Now, Bailey hopes lightning will strike twice, and is asking Facebook to help find her find Reilly once more.

Bailey's 9-year-old son let the dog out into their yard Saturday night. But the dog panicked when fireworks went off, she said. Their home is located near Falcon and Race avenues, not far from Eagle Estates Park. Reilly "ran to the fence, ripped off a piece" and ran so quickly the boy couldn't catch him.

So far, the dog hasn't returned, and he was last seen running south toward Patchogue. Since sharing his disappearance on Facebook, people reported seeing the missing dog near Bellport Avenue and Falcon Avenue. But Bailey said she doesn't think that was her beloved Reilly, rather a similar-looking pooch.

"Someone called and claimed they saw him on Bellport Avenue," she wrote. "A dog tracker went down there and found another dog roaming around with similar coloring, so I think it might be that dog."

She added: "We don't have any actual sightings of which way Reilly went."

Reilly is chipped and tagged, she said. In addition to anxiety issues, the dog suffers from hearing loss and arthritis.

Bailey asked that anyone with information call her at 631-758-7304.