BROOKLYN — A Bushwick woman looking for romance online ended up losing the love of her life when an Internet suitor took off with her dog and never returned, she claims.
Roxanne Thompson, 46, said she met her prospective lover on the dating app badoo.com six months ago and the pair hit it off in person during several face-to-face meetings.
On June 24, after an overnight stay, she said the man offered to walk Terror, her cairn terrier, while she prepared breakfast and tidied the home near Bushwick Avenue and Halsey Street.
She hasn't seen either of them since, she said.
Later, Thompson realized that two gold chains worth $600 that her mother had left her when she died were also missing, she said.
“I beat myself up every day because it’s my fault that I let some devil come into my house and my baby’s paying for it now,” Thompson said. “[Terror's] my pride and joy and my heart hurts every day for him.”
When reached by telephone, the man, whose name is being withheld because he has not yet been charged with a crime, denied Thompson’s allegations. He said the two had gotten into an argument that morning and he offered to walk the dog as a way to escape the house.
“I left the gate open... I just left the dog,” he said. He said he thought the dog would just stay in the yard. “It usually barks for her... I ran towards the train.”
He said detectives have called him to ask about the missing dog and the chains, but he denied taking either of them.
“That lady loves that dog,” he said.
Police are still investigating, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Thompson is desperate to get any leads on Terror’s whereabouts.
“If I ever get him back he’s going to the doctor to get a check-up and he’s getting a microchip right then and there,” she said. “I’ll never let anyone close to him [again].”
Thompson has offered a $500 reward for anyone who returns Terror to her safely. Contact her at (347) 972-5700.
