‘Don’t be mean to her.’ Navy vet, 76, begs for return of stolen service dog Ladybug

When Jack Steinman, a 76-year-old Navy veteran, discovered his SUV missing Monday after a quick visit to an auto parts store, his heart broke, reported KPNX.

Steinman had left his 2 ½-year-old service dog, Ladybug, in the gold 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara with the engine and air-conditioner running, the station reported. Now she’s gone — and Steinman blames himself.

“Why did I ever put her in this kind of harm? Why?” he said, according to KTVZ. He begged the thief to return Ladybug.

“Please bring her home but don’t be mean to her,” Steinman said, according to the station. “Please just bring her home or let me know or whatever — but don’t be mean to her.”

Ladybug, reported by KSAZ to be a certified service dog, has a button to alert 911 if Steinman — who has a heart condition — needs medical help, the station said.

Steinman also has a hearing disability, which Ladybug also assists him with, reported KPHO. But mostly he wants the thief to know how much joy Ladybug brings him.

“You got the best friend I’ll ever have,” said Steinman, according to the station. “You got somebody who is with me all the time.”

While Ladybug is not chipped, she has a collar with Steinman’s contact information, reported KSAZ. She was not wearing her service vest when she was taken.

“I don’t have nobody else,” Steinman, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean war, told KTVZ.