Annie the dog reunited with her family after car is found abandoned in Cambria
A fluffy, white dog that was stolen along with the car she was in has been found safe and returned to her owners in Cambria.
Annie the dog disappeared Friday when her owner’s car was stolen from a parking lot at the ambulance station.
But the story ultimately had a happy ending when, after a few anxiety-ridden hours, both were found in a different parking lot, this time outside Linn’s Restaurant at 2277 Main St.
After the family posted on the SLO County News Facebook page about their missing car and dog, a staff person at Linn’s responded a few hours later saying she saw the dog in the car at that parking lot and posted a photo.
Sure enough, Annie’s ears could be seen perked up in the backseat of the missing Honda CRV.
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The person called the police and the dog’s owners and stayed with them until they arrived.
Frank Nuciforo, Annie’s owner, said that at about 11:30 p.m. Friday night, they got a call from a worker at Linn’s who told them Annie had been found.
“Fortunately, a staff person at Linn’s saw her and recognized her from pictures on the internet,” Nuciforo said. “We ran over and got her.”
Nuciforo said Annie was hungry and thirsty and was shaking a bit, but eventually she calmed down after eating extra helpings of chicken and rice.
Nuciforo said there wasn’t even a scratch on the car but that whoever stole their vehicle used about a quarter tank of gas.
“Apparently it was just a joyride,” Nuciforo said.
Nuciforo said after they took their car and dog home, the CHP came by to tell them they were still looking into the matter.
Nuciforo and his family are over the moon that their dog and car are both back.
“She’s like our little child,” Nuciforo said of Annie.
How a thief stole the dog and car from a parking lot
Valentina Nuciforo told The Tribune she had driven her son’s 2009 Black Honda CRV and parked it at 2579 Main St. in Cambria around noon on Friday. Her dog Annie, a 12-year-old female Samoyed, was inside the vehicle.
Nuciforo said she parked her car and dropped the keys on the floor of the vehicle to quickly grab coffee and spices.
But when she came back, the car — and Annie — were missing.
Nuciforo called the CHP, which responded and dispatched multiple units, including air units, to look for the vehicle, according to CHP spokesperson Ryan Armstrong.
The CHP is continuing to investigate the incident.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
