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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Missing French Bulldogs' Owners Offer Reward

 An Avondale couple whose French bulldogs have been missing since their home was burglarized Tuesday are offering a reward for the dogs' safe return.
An Avondale couple whose French bulldogs have been missing since their home was burglarized Tuesday are offering a reward for the dogs' safe return.
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DNAinfo/Erica Demarest

AVONDALE — An Avondale couple whose French bulldogs have been missing since their home was burglarized Tuesday are offering a reward for the dogs' safe return.

"If you do have the dogs, we just want them back as soon as possible," owner David Wilk said Wednesday. "We're offering a reward: no questions, no anything."

One of the dogs is deaf with "really bad allergies," said Wilk, 31, so "it's important that we get her sooner rather than later."

Wilk and his husband realized the dogs were missing Tuesday morning when the couple returned from a coffee run and found their front door wide open — its handle "busted up."

 An Avondale couple is looking for their French bulldogs Rue (in the back) and Pierre (in the front) after their home was burglarized.
An Avondale couple is looking for their French bulldogs Rue (in the back) and Pierre (in the front) after their home was burglarized.
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Courtesy of David Wilk

Their two Yorkshire Terriers were still there, running around. But their French bulldogs Rue and Pierre were missing, Wilk said. Electronics such as iPads, laptops and a security system had also been taken.

Wilk posted about his dogs on Facebook at noon Tuesday, and within hours, his story had been picked up by several media outlets.

Two anonymous callers said they had seen the dogs in Humboldt Park walking in the street near North and Sacramento avenues.

"We didn't get the messages until four hours later," Wilk said. "By the time we got there, it was snowing and raining at the same time, and it was almost impossible to see anything."

Wilk and his husband spent most of Wednesday hanging flyers and talking to dog walkers. Once shelters opened, they started making the rounds. Most shelters told the couple they couldn't release information about animals over the phone.

Wilk said he was overwhelmed by the city's response.

"We're so lucky. There are so many people out there that just lose their pets, and all they do is have flyers," he said. "I don't know if has something to do with us being the first gay couple to get married in Illinois, but the amount of coverage we've gotten is incredible."

Anyone with information is asked to call 815-603-8177 or 224-234-3808.