Poodle Stolen in Milford Found ‘Wandering’ in New Haven

A small poodle that was snatched from a car at the Connecticut Post Mall on Sept. 14 has been reunited with its owner.

“I can’t believe I beat the odds,” Betty Barriga, the owner of the 5-year-old poodle, Delilah, told Milford Patch Monday. “I got my dog back.”

Six days after reporting Delilah stolen, Barriga said she received a call Friday night from a woman in New Haven.

“She said she found the dog wandering around the street,” Barriga said. “She picked up the dog thinking it was her mother’s but her mother said it was the one on TV.”

Barriga said several media outlets contacted her after she reported the theft to police. She also distributed more than 400 color fliers in Milford and surrounding towns in her search for Delilah.

Barriga drove from her home in Seymour to meet with the New Haven woman and, lo and behold, the poodle she claimed to have discovered on the street was Delilah.

As a reward, Barriga said she gave the woman what cash she had on her, which was about $30. “I offered to give her a check” but she declined, Barriga said.

Delilah, a trained therapy dog, was taken from Barriga’s older model Honda Accord sometime between 6 and 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, police said.

Before entering the mall, Barriga left the car with all four windows partially open and the Seymour woman now suspects the gap was wide enough for a person to reach in and pull the latch to unlock.

Barriga said next time she goes shopping she will detour home to drop off the dog.