Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo’s mom got her stolen dog back

Hey Siri, play “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb ...

In the midst of the postseason, as the Eagles continue their hunt for a Super Bowl, a moment of hope and happy endings reached Eagles fans everywhere after Tralee Hale-Ringo was reunited with her dog Mali on Monday.

Hale-Ringo, the mother of Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo, had her dog stolen from the Target store at 2701 Castor Avenue in Port Richmond on Oct. 28 as she was shopping for Halloween candy. When Hale-Ringo went to use the bathroom, leaving her shih tzu outside, she came out and Mali was gone.

After 2½ months apart, Mali returned to her rightful owner — but now she’s looking a little different. Hale-Ringo said Mali “looked like she just got out of prison.” The shih tzu was mangled, her trademark top knot was gone, and the noticeable pink color in her tail was removed to conceal her identity.

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Despite a different look, Hale-Ringo knew it was her Mali. “Her little arms and legs moved once she came around the corner with the detective. They were just moving a mile a minute. She was so excited.”

When Hale-Ringo first heard the good news, she let out a little squeak of excitement as she went shopping — inside the Eagles pro shop, of course — for more stickers to go under her eyes for her Mama Ringo look.

“I was super excited,” Hale-Ringo said. “I just had the conversation at lunch that I can’t wait to get the phone call, and then 45 minutes later I get the actual phone call. I don’t know if I manifested it. But I’ve been waiting for the call, and I’ve known that it was coming, and I just love how supportive the community has been. Eagles fans reached out and just said, hey, this is the city that people will be on the lookout.”

Mali was spotted by a worker at a Wawa in New Jersey. Apparently, the people who stole Mali had been going to this Wawa to show off their new dog. The employee noticed that Mali looked familiar and gave the license plate of the vehicle she was in to the police. Hale-Ringo believes this was only possible because of the release of the Target surveillance video. There was no word on possible criminal charges.

“In five weeks, the video from Target got released,” Hale-Ringo said. “And that video surveillance is literally the reason why I’ve had the amount of confidence that I’ve had, knowing that I was going to get my dog back. I’ve literally told everyone it’s only a matter of time.”

The surveillance video showed a group of four young suspects leaving the store with the dog. In addition to the video, one person that Hale-Ringo turned to for help during the situation was Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro.

“I got Dom from the Eagles to call in to really make it a priority,” Hale-Ringo said. “Big Dom knows every detective in the city and he has so much of an influence. He is so well respected and looked up to. He takes such good care of the boys. … I’m thankful to have him. He’s definitely a perk.”

After the time apart — consisting of a missed birthday, missed Thanksgiving, missed Christmas, and a missed New Year’s — Mali has finally found her way home and just in time for the Birds' chase for a Super Bowl.

“It’s perfect timing,” Hale-Ringo said. “We won our first playoff game of the postseason here on Sunday and then Monday I got my dog back. That was two wins, two days in a row for me. Go Birds. I’m just hoping that Mali brings some good luck to the playoffs.”

And there’s no need for fans to worry about Mali’s game-day look. She’ll be cleaned up just in time for the Eagles' divisional-round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

“She’s on the table right now, getting combed out, washed, groomed, and dyed,” Hale-Ringo said. “She’s going to be kelly green here in a second and she’s gonna be running around in a Ringo jersey, yelling, Go Birds!”

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