Vancouver panhandler heartbroken after dog stolen: ‘She’s the only thing I have left’

A panhandler who is a well-known fixture outside the Church’s Chicken and Donald’s Market on East Hastings Street in Vancouver is heartbroken after the theft of his dog.

Mishah, a chihuahua-cross, has been at Michael Lorimer’s side for the last five years.

“She was my little buddy. She’s a rescue dog,” said Lorimer, who started panhandling after a car crash put him in a wheelchair with a spinal injury.

LISTEN: A panhandler who is a well-known fixture outside the Church’s Chicken and Donald’s Market on East Hastings Street in Vancouver is heartbroken after the theft of his dog. Mishah, a chihuahua-cross, has been at Michael Lorimer’s side for the last five years. Jill Bennett is a guest on Simi Sara’s show.

On Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m., Lorimer went into the Church’s Chicken restaurant to use the washroom.

He said he was gone for less than five minutes, but when he came back outside Mishah was gone.

“I started losing it and looking everywhere,” he said.

WATCH: (Aired June 4, 2018) Small dog stolen off its leash outside New Westminster store

0:25 Small dog stolen off its leash outside New Westminster store

Security cameras on the building did not catch the theft.

Lorimer reported the theft to Vancouver police as well as City of Vancouver Animal Control and the BC SPCA.

He is hoping someone will see Mishah, recognize the dog and help return her to him.

“She’s my dog. I lost my wife and my parents. She’s the only thing I have left.”