Couple devastated after beloved dog's body stolen in vet freezer robbery
A Brisbane couple is pleading for the return of their dead dog’s body after she was stolen from a veterinary clinic.
Garry and Denise Gabites had their 16-year-old Border Collie-Golden Retriever cross, Abby, put down on Monday due to rapidly declining health.
Mr Gabites told Yahoo7 he “can’t believe” someone would steal his dead dog.
“We had her put down on Monday,” he said.
“It was a tough call. We’ve had her for most of the 16 years of her life.
“She was playful for a long time but had arthritis in her back legs, and her health went down quickly in the last few years.”
The plan was to have her cremated. Her body was being stored in a freezer at Greencross Vets at Beenleigh, southeast of Brisbane, overnight.
But on Tuesday morning Ms Gabites received a call. The freezer had been stolen with Abby inside.
“My wife got a call at the office and she just collapsed,” he said.
“I was in disbelief at the near impossibility of it.”
That feeling has been replaced with numbness as Mr Gabites, who calls himself “one of Abby’s parents”, tries to make sense of what happened to his dog.
He added the vet clinic’s staff were also in tears.
They spent most of Tuesday searching for Abby’s body in the belief thieves might have dumped her on a roadside.
A Queensland Police spokesman confirmed an investigation was underway involving the theft from the Beenleigh business.
He appealed for CCTV or dashboard camera footage in the hopes of finding those responsible.
As for the Gabites, they just want Abby’s body back so she can be put to rest.
Anybody with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the online reporting page.
