Owner of stolen French Bulldog takes parents of thieves to civil court

CHARLOTTE, NC — Five long months have passed for Jayla Gittens and still no Julio.

In April, thieves stole Gittens’ car from her north Charlotte apartment. Her 6-year-old French Bulldog was in the car. Police found the stolen car, not Julio.

From then until now, flyers have been hung, videos have surfaced, and arrests have been made. Gittens even made a plea to Charlotte City Council.

“I’ve done everything humanly possible that I can do. I’m just one person. Um, so it’s very. It’s been very difficult for me,” Gittens said of her search efforts.

Several teens were arrested for the dog theft. All juveniles. All protected by North Carolina laws. Each one refusing to answer the question Gittens has been asking for five months… Where is Julio?

“I know exactly who did it, and yet I still can’t get any resolution. That’s what’s frustrating to me,” explained Gittens.

Gittens decided to take the matter to civil court last week. Suing the parents of the teens involved. The lawsuit gives them until Sunday to give Julio back or pay $2,000 for her dog.

“I’ve said since the beginning, I was like, you don’t even have to give him back directly to me. You can just take him to a shelter,” said Gittens.

Around the time she filed the lawsuit, Gittens also got a tip about a black Frenchie running along a Charlotte highway. The search and rescue team she’s working with has asked we don’t share the specific location out of fear someone may chase Julio away.

Gittens doesn’t believe it’s coincidence. After dozens of tips in five months, she hopes this is the one that leads her to her dog. Even if that hope may be dwindling.

“I try to have, like, that inner hope but, I do feel like a lot more worn down than I was five months ago,” Gittens said.

Gittens said she has spent more than $1,000 in her search for Julio. She set up a GoFundMe to help cover costs.