UPDATE: Skippy has been located in the woods near Willis Road in Chesterfield County and taken to the Chesterfield County Animal Shelter, where he will be reunited with his parents.
Richmond Police located the couple's stolen vehicle Monday afternoon along Interstate 95 south at Bells Road.
CBS 6 will have more on this developing story on CBS 6 News at 5 and 6 p.m.
RICHMOND, Va. -- A couple stopping to visit Richmond while traveling home to North Carolina are begging locals to keep an eye out for their stolen car - and more importantly - their 10-year-old toy poodle who was in the back seat.
Ann and Richard VonHoorn were traveling from a vacation in Connecticut to their home in Cape Carteret, North Carolina when they stopped in Richmond for the weekend to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The couple spent Saturday at the museum while Skippy, their white toy poodle, was dropped off at a dog sitters.
After picking Skippy up on Sunday morning, the VonHoorns stopped at the McDonald's -- at 1800 E. Broad Street in Shockoe Bottom -- to grab a bite to eat, leaving their car running in the parking lot so Skippy would be comfortable in the back seat.
"I believe I locked the car, however my husband's key was in the luggage so I don't know if the car was locked," Ann Vonhoorn said.
The VonHoorns said they ate at the McDonald's for no longer than 15 minutes and had their eyes on the car in the parking lot throughout their meal, only losing sight when they used the restroom after eating.
"We were in McDonald's for 15 minutes most, when we went in at 9 a.m., we were the only customers, by 9:15 it had filled up and there were a lot of people dressed nicely," Ann VanHoorn said. "We went to the restroom before going back out to the car, it was there while we were having breakfast and it was gone when we came back out of the restroom."
In a turquoise and black crate in the back of their 2017 Ford Escape was Skippy, their toy poodle who the couple rescued 9 years ago.
"We would be so grateful if anyone sees our white toy poodle named Skippy who's very friendly and wants his belly rubbed at all times - we would really appreciate getting our dog back," she said. "He's very soft, he just had a bath, and we miss him very much."
The vehicle is described as a tan 2017 Ford Escape with North Carolina tags "EDRI9177" and the words "Crystal Coast" on the front license plate.
Richmond Police Lieutenant William Brereton said the search for the car has been unsuccessful.
"Yesterday from the time of contact multiple units in the first precinct spent hours scouring alleys and housing areas throughout the precinct looking for the vehicle," Lt. Brereton said.
"If anyone sees the vehicle - or if you took the vehicle - just call and say where you left it," he added said. "Of course we want to find the people that did this but the main thing for this family is to find their member of their family - their pet."
