'I'm really sorry I have to do this': Father recounts how his car was stolen in Etobicoke with his dog inside

A man who allegedly stole a white Jeep with a dog inside it in Etobicoke Wednesday morning is being sought by police.

It happened in the area of Bloor Street West and The East Mall at around 8:50 a.m.

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Josh Miller told CTV News Toronto he had just dropped his daughter off at school and was stuck in a queue of cars heading out of the parking lot.

"I had my window down a little bit and all of a sudden this man came up to me and said, 'Get out of the car right now or I'm going to have to hurt the kids at the school,'" Miller recounted.

Not wanting to put up a fight, he said he calmly got out of his car after taking his phone and as he did, the suspect proceeded to apologize. 

"He said, 'I'm really sorry I have to do this man but (…) they're really f---ing my life right now," Miller said.

The suspect drove away in the Jeep Grand Cherokee with black roof rails and chrome running boards, police said, which has a licence plate of CVRB 054.

It was a couple of minutes later that Miller realized Roxy, his four-year-old chocolate Labrador, was still in the car.

"I'm glad my daughter wasn't in the car, glad nobody got hurt, but then it just flashed back that I'm like, 'Our dog was in there,'" Miller said.

"I just felt awful at that point."

Roxy is part of the family and Miller says he's more focussed on having Roxy brought home than their SUV.

"If you see Roxy or if you're the person who took her, she's a great dog, she means a lot to our family. Just please leave her at an animal shelter or tie her up in front of someone's house. Just make sure that she's okay," Miller said.

Police said they're looking for a roughly 30-year-old man who is between five-foot-eight and six feet tall with a light-coloured beard and medium build. They add that he was wearing a black jacket, black winter pants and black earmuffs at the time.

Police are asking anyone who finds the Jeep or Roxy to call them at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.