Fresno instructor seeks puppy after cancer diagnosis and dog loss

Fresno scuba diving instructor Gordon Cromwell is asking neighbors to help find Daisy, a 10-week-old puppy captured on Ring video running out his front door and then being taken away in a dark gray sedan. Cromwell, who is undergoing chemotherapy after a stage four lung cancer diagnosis in April 2026, has been posting flyers and spreading the word on social media as he tries to bring the puppy home and keep up with medical bills.

Cromwell’s loss of Daisy came just days after he put down another French Bulldog, Twyla, on May 4, 2026. He said his life had been built around travel, work and his dogs before the diagnosis and the recent string of setbacks turned routine into crisis. He said he believes the person who picked up Daisy may not have known the full situation, but he still wants the puppy returned.

The Ring footage, according to Cromwell’s account, showed a house-cleaning helper leaving the front door open. Daisy ran outside, followed a boy walking home from school, and was then taken into the sedan. The detail that matters now is the vehicle: a dark gray car seen at the exact moment the puppy disappeared. Cromwell has said he can scrape together a reward if needed, but his main goal is to get Daisy back safely.

The stakes are more than emotional. Cromwell also shared a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover chemotherapy costs, underscoring how quickly a pet emergency can turn into a financial one when cancer treatment is already under way. Community Medical Centers says its Lung Program, in affiliation with UCSF Fresno, is one of the largest early-diagnosis and expedited-treatment lung cancer programs in the nation and the first of its kind in the Central Valley, a reminder that serious illness can demand both medical and community support at the same time.

A similar Fresno County case showed how quickly a lost dog can be recovered when the right lead surfaces. In August 2024, deputies said a 2-month-old French Bulldog named Boba was stolen from a Selma home on South Shaft Avenue and was later found in a car during a traffic stop, then returned to its owner. California law treats companion-animal theft as theft, with Penal Code section 487e making theft of a companion animal valued above $950 grand theft and section 487f making theft of one valued at $950 or less petty theft.

For Fresno and Selma families, the lesson is immediate: the first hours after a dog goes missing can decide whether a sighting, a plate number or a traffic stop brings a pet home.