Have You Seen This Dog?

Have you seen this dog? That's what Jane Coon wants to know.

Coon says around 11:30 p.m. last Friday, she witnessed two teenagers hefting the concrete lawn ornament into a silver SUV parked at the end of her driveway. When she yelled at them to put it back, they sped off.

"I saw the car but I didn't get the license plate number," she said. "It's heartbreaking because it (the dog) means so much to us."

That cute little hunk of concrete has sentimental value to Coon and her family, who live in the Waukee school district. It once belonged to Coon's parents, who have both since passed away. Coon said she doesn't think the teens who took it have any idea of its value.

"It used to be at my mom and dad's house along with a little fire hydrant," she recalled. "Ironically, the fire hydrant was taken long ago, but the dog was always in their landscaping. When my mom passed away this summer and we were clearing out the house, I brought the dog home with me."

The dog is about two feet tall and weighs between 50-60 pounds. It's made of solid concrete and would be difficult to carry for one person.

Coon, who lives just south of Shuler Elementary School off Berkshire Parkway, said it's not the first time the concrete pup has been the victim of a heist. Back in July, just two weeks after her mother passed away, someone took the dog from its perch on the front step of her Clive home. The dog was later found not far away and returned to the Coon's house, a victim of an apparent prank.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the dog, you're asked to send all leads to Jane Coon via Waukee Patch at jody.gifford@patch.com. Coon says they just want the dog home, no questions asked.