Why?

What are you gonna do with a stolen dog anyway? Hold it for ransom? This isn’t a diamond necklace or bag of cash. You can’t fence or launder a dog.

In NBC’s writeup, the possibility of a misunderstanding is brought up:

Hale-Ringo said she’s unsure of the intentions of the people who took her dog but warned that Molly is older and not used to new environments.

“I’m thinking maybe somebody thought that they were saving her from an irresponsible dog owner. I hate to say it, which is not the case,” she said. “I feel as though maybe someone saw her and thought she was a spunky, 2- or 4-year-old little puppy or young dog that was going to easily adapt to a new environment or a new family, and that’s just not the case. She’s 10 years old. I’m all she knows. She sat right by my side and got me through my own personal breast cancer journey. She’s been our family dog and she’s my best friend.”

Hmm, well that’s interesting. Maybe it was just a big mistake. Regardless, let’s just get the dog back to her rightful owner. If not, we’re gonna have to scour the Port Richmond neighborhood and knock on doors with our Polish translator in tow. Go Birds.