Cape family’s dog killed after robber leaves door open

CAPE CORAL, Fla. A grieving family blames a thief for the death of their dog.

The Barnes family had a yard sale April 14 — one day before the dog’s second birthday — at their home on the 500 block of Kismet Parkway. An unidentified suspect is believed to have broken into their fenced yard while the family hosted a party for friends after the sale, the Cape Coral Police Department said.

The family was unaware of the break-in when they let the dog, named Gigi, out into the yard. She escaped into the street through an open fence door and was hit by a car, Robert Barnes said.

“The house is empty,” Barnes said. “It’s like we’re missing a child.”

The family’s black and red Troy-Bilt TB240 lawn mower was missing too, according to police.

“It’s not the mower; I’ll buy 500 if that’s what it takes, but we lost a member of our family,” Barnes said.

The family filed a police report and an investigation is underway.