WEST HARLEM — A veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder is desperately searching for his therapy dog, Precious, who was taken outside the C-Town supermarket on 125th Street Friday.
James Pardellas, 45, has had the brown Chihuahua for 19 years. The dog helps him cope with stress and has become his best friend.
“She keeps me calm,” he said. “I was a soldier in the Marines, I’ve been through a lot.”
Precious went missing on Friday, after Pardellas’ younger brother, Manuel, took her to C-Town just a block away from their home. His brother tied the dog to a fence outside the supermarket and forgot about her when he left.
Manuel didn’t realize he forgot the dog until a few hours later. By the time he ran back to the store, Precious was gone, Pardellas said.
“He apologized,” Pardellas said of his brother. “He was crying, too. He has a dog. I can imagine his reaction, how sorry he is.”
The Marine vet spent Friday running around the neighborhood asking if anyone has seen his dog and distributing a hand-written poster asking people for help. Many of the posters have been taken down, he said.
He always noticed lost dogs fliers around the city but never thought he would be the one to post them, he added.
Employees at C-Town said the dog had been out there crying for hours before someone took her.
“She was out there all day,” said a cashier. “If someone took it they aren’t going to give it back.”
Still Pardellas remains optimistic.
A neighbor told him a woman took the dog and was asking if anyone recognized her Friday afternoon. He believes the woman had good intentions and is taking care of the dog until she can locate the owner.
“Knowing someone has her keeps me calm,” he said. “But I was looking out the window when it was raining and I was worried that she’d be cold.”
