Colorado 18-year-old Alex Ordonez says his family's Commerce City home, and their hearts, are feeling a lot emptier in the past week.
“You don't hear the door scratching, or you don't hear our dog barking outside. It's just different,” said Ordonez.
They're feeling the stillness in the wake of losing their beloved 12-year-old dog, Rambo, who's been with their family since 2012 when they got him as a gift from family friends.
“He's always been a good dog,” said Alex Ordonez. “We're a really close family, and Rambo was always with us in every moment.”
Ordonez says Rambo went missing on Nov. 23 at some point after 7 p.m. when they let him hang out in the yard while they went to a church event.
“He doesn't usually do anything, he's just guarding our house you know,” said Ordonez.
It was not until a few days later, when they saw a post from the Commerce City Police Department with Rambo's photo, that they realized what happened to their pet.
“I was so excited about seeing my dog that I didn't read the thing that happened to him,” Ordonez said.
Commerce City police say a good Samaritan saw someone throw Rambo out of the passenger side window of a moving vehicle at the intersection of East 64th Avenue and Monaco Street.
“He heard the animal yelp when he hit the ground and crawled over to the sidewalk,” said Joanna Small, Public Information Officer with Commerce City police. “When the officers and good Samaritan tried to help, they weren't able to do anything…but the good Samaritan stayed on scene, [and] provided a box. We took the animal to an emergency vet clinic, and that's where we learned that the spine was fractured to the point where the animal didn't have any sensation in his legs, so he had to be euthanized unfortunately.”
Ordonez says his family was not only devastated by what happened but also because they did not have a chance to say goodbye.
“We tried to give him the best life. so, it really sucks when you spent 12 years with this dog and he's really close to your heart and he just goes away,” he said.
He says he forgives the person who may have hurt their dog, but he hopes someone will be able to find out who did this.
“I think we do [have] to find out who it is and take action for what they have done,” said Ordonez.
Police are continuing to look for more information about the suspect who may have taken Rambo and a vehicle description.
