How Ruby, the puppy inside a stolen car, was reunited in Charlotte with her mom

When she twice lost her seasonal Amazon warehouse job and had to live in her car last year, Angel Reid said a devoted family member was always by her side: Her puppy, Ruby.

The brown dachshund-Jack Russell mix never stopped smiling and wagging her tail.

While homeless, Reid would let Ruby out of the car at dog parks in Houston, Texas, where they lived before moving to Charlotte. Ruby would run and jump and play — always lifting the 22-year-old Reid’s mood.

“She’s my daughter,” Reid told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday. “She gave me the inspiration to keep going ... She definitely kept me sane.”

But on Saturday night, Reid thought she’d lost the 8-month-old Ruby forever.

Her car was stolen as she hustled to the door of an apartment to deliver food — a job she landed in Charlotte to get back on her feet.

“In the blink of an eye,” she said, someone jumped in, took the keys she’d left in a cup holder and drove off in her Nissan Sentra.

Inside were most of Reid’s worldly possessions and her beloved Ruby.

Detectives get to work

Reid moved to Charlotte a month ago, when her mom urged her to start over here.

The trip from Houston was difficult enough, with two blown tires along the way, Reid said.

She’s originally from McLeansville, population 1,000, near Greensboro. Her mom, a single parent of two, lives in Charlotte.

“My mom is old school,” Reid said, meaning she wanted her daughter to go out and find work and within 90 days be back on her own. To enforce her tough love, Reid wasn’t allowed to hang around her mom’s place during the day, she said.

She landed a warehouse job and Reid delivers meals for DoorDash, the online restaurant meals delivery service, she said.

She considers such jobs temporary and would like to hold one with benefits some day. She thought she might return to Houston eventually — so she never unloaded most of her possessions from her car.

Around 7 p.m. Saturday, she said she left Ruby in her car to deliver a Taco Bell order at an apartment on Millennium Avenue off West Tyvola Road.

Within seconds of walking away, her car was gone.

She filed a report with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Detectives assigned to the case began their work. And Reid prayed she’d see Ruby again.

One of the detectives, Carl Albanese, called Reid every day between Saturday and Tuesday. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, he showed up at her mom’s home with some good news.

An answered prayer

A suspect had been apprehended earlier Tuesday and told police where he took the puppy from the car, Reid said officers told her.

Then, a maintenance worker spotted Ruby — skittish and afraid but unharmed — at an apartment complex in Charlotte, she said.

On Wednesday, police posted on Facebook video of Albanese and fellow Det. Robert Morell returning Ruby to Reid.

In the video, Reid is seen and heard screaming in delight as an officer hands her the puppy. Reid holds her high, and then hugs her tight and dances with her.

The dog’s tail is wagging the whole time.

Reid’s prayers, she said, were answered in that moment.

“Sometimes, God puts you through things so He can rebuild you,” she said.

Stephanie Bunao contributed.

This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.