Mississauga poodle found safe after alleged dognapping, woman arrested

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A woman who was arrested for allegedly stealing a dog from the front yard of a Mississauga townhouse last week tells CityNews she took the animal because she was concerned it was left out in the cold and in distress.

Officers executed a search warrant at a home in Malton on Wednesday night and found Totem, a nine-year-old white standard poodle.

Rachel Balzereit, 30, was arrested and faces theft and possession charges.

Balzereit told CityNews she saw the dog outside in the cold and thought it was in danger. She said she didn’t knock on the door, or call Animal Services.

“I’m concerned about the nature of grooming a dog in the dead of winter, when what you are doing is shearing the dog and putting the dog out in minus 17,” Balzereit said. “That dog is out there basically naked for I don’t know how long.”

The dog’s owner said it was outside for no more than 10 minutes.

The incident was caught on security camera.

When asked why she didn’t knock on any doors or call Animal Services, she said: “I knew that the dog in the meantime would be sitting outside.”

Footage shows a woman in a purple jacket walking away with the poodle on Friday.

When the owner left Totem out, he was on a leash. At first, the family thought Totem had somehow broken free and wondered off, until it dawned on a neighbour in the complex to check a security camera that’s mounted on her unit.

“I was astonished. It was totally brazen. We have individuals who saw her petting Totem before taking him, and they assumed they were just over visiting Jennifer,” neighbour Katie said.

“We all started crying, everyone was crying we were just so relieved,” she said of the happy reunion.

Animal Services has examined the dog and he’s been deemed to be in good health with no signs of neglect or frost bite.

Police said they got a number of tips after the story was broadcasted on CityNews.

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