Orillia couple shocked thief swiped sentimental dog ornament from well-lit porch

Janet Shaw returned home from walking her dog shortly after 9:30 Monday night when she got an alert from the camera at her front door.

"I looked at my Ring alarm, and there was somebody unplugging my Dachshund lit-up ornament at the front step and running away with it across the street," said the Orillia resident.

Janet's husband, Bob, said he still can't believe it. "It's really disheartening."

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While the dog figurine may look like just another Christmas decoration, it had sentimental value to the Shaw family.

"The ornament was a memoriam really of our little dog Chippie who was our little Dachshund that died suddenly this summer," explained Janet.A thief is captured on RING camera stealing an ornament from a home in Orillia, Ont,. on Mon., Dec. 4, 2023. (Supplied)

While the Shaws admit the situation could've been worse, they said it still hurts.

"The fact that that's what they took. I mean, I would rather they took something else than that cause it meant a lot. It just felt violating that they took her," said a frustrated Janet.

The Orillia residents were shocked someone would walk up to their well-lit front steps so early in the night while they were home and awake.

As the cost of living has soared in recent years, they feel like people are getting bolder.

"They feel like life's maybe served them up a really raw deal, and so I think that trend is happening quite a bit," theorized Bob, adding he's had his truck broken into three times in their driveway.

"People are stealing more things right in front of people, and there seems to be a lot more bad actors on the street at night," said Janet.

The Shaws say this theft won't dampen their Christmas spirit, and while they don't expect to find the ornament, they will continue to decorate and maybe even find a replacement.