Ingrid Vandooren wonders if her late daughter Sinead (left) might have been a guiding light in helping Layla the dog (centre) who was in a car when it was taken from outside a Whangārei shop last week.
Ingrid Vandooren wonders if her late daughter Sinead (left) might have been a guiding light in helping Layla the dog (centre) who was in a car when it was taken from outside a Whangārei shop last week.
The theft of Ingrid Vandooren’s car, left running outside a Whangarei store, plunged her into despair.
Not because the car was being stolen; because her little dog Layla was still inside it.
The uninsured Mazda 626 vehicle was snatched while idling in front of a Tikipunga vape store about 7pm last Thursday.
Vandooren’s beloved pet - named in honour of her late daughter Sinead - was found with an injured paw about 2am the next day by a neighbour friend Stacey May.
May and others had been out looking for the car, which had been abandoned on Steere Place, Tikipunga. It wasn’t damaged but the keys were missing and it had obviously been used for a joyride, Vandooren said.
Initially, there was no sign of Layla - her “worst nightmare come true”, Vandooren said.
She could’ve coped with the loss of her car but losing Layla would have been unbearable.
Layla - a mix of Chihuahua, Papillion, Fox Terrier, and Pomeranian - was a loveable lap dog, named after Vandooren’s 22-year-old daughter Sinead, who died in 2013.
Sinead was an Eric Clapton fan, especially of his song Layla - a name she hoped to use if she ever had a daughter herself.
When found, Layla was traumatised, in a lot of pain, and limping.
“But she’ll come right because she’s back with me now,” Vandooren said.
She claimed there was evidence to show Layla’s injuries were from being forcibly thrown to the ground by whoever took the vehicle.
“Not knowing what happened to Layla was horrible because some people are really, really, evil with their cruelty to animals.
“I can’t imagine what she was going through ‘cos she would’ve been onto it knowing, ‘that’s not mum that just got in the car and did a horrible quick reverse and off’, so my poor baby.
“Layla would have been panicking ‘cos she doesn’t leave my side, she sleeps in my bed, she’s my baby,” Vandooren said.
A still from store CCTV footage shows Ingrid Vandooren's white car parked directly outside a Whangārei store, moments before it was taken with her dog Layla inside.
Police were yet to arrest anyone for taking the car.
Vandooren thought the culprit was a young male and hoped he would be found soon as she was concerned about what else he might do if he could deliberately hurt a helpless animal.
“This person needs to be off the streets really because he’s chucked her (Layla) - he’s thrown her on the ground and that type of person should not be free.
“He could be a danger to society. There’s got to be something majorly wrong for you to hurt such a beautiful little thing knowing that she’s probably frightened as well. He could’ve just let her out (of the car).
Vandooren accepted criticism for leaving the car running and the keys still in it.
“I’ll obviously never do it again.”
However, she had parked directly in front of the store, only going in briefly to buy a vape. Surely she could have done that without someone taking her car, Vandooren said.
“I turned around and the car was gone and for a split second, I thought maybe I’d parked it somewhere else.
However, a woman outside saw what happened and had thought (by his manner) that the man who took the car, was its owner.
Now facing about $1000 worth of bills for vehicle towage and vet fees, Vandooren said she ideally like to see the offender (if he’s ever caught) made to foot those bills - not because he’d taken her car but because he “went too far” by being cruel to Layla.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference
