THORNTON, Colo. (KDVR) — Thornton police are investigating two thieves who stole a puppy by hiding it in their clothes.
Police said the two entered a pet farm at 3833 E. 120th St. in Thornton and left with a puppy valued at nearly $3,000.
At the pet store, you can snuggle and find smiles. The staff likes their jobs, but they didn't like what happened on February 6th at around 3:40 p.m.
“We were getting a new puppy, so we went out with the breeder and brought in some puppies,” manager Elizabeth Stilianos said.
At that moment, two men and a woman entered the pet shop.
“Basically, they came in, they were looking around, and they ended up picking up another dog and asking another employee about the dog,” Stilianos said. “They turned his back on him and turned him away from his door.”
Stilianos shared the surveillance video with FOX31. It shows a staff member with a woman lining up various dog breeds in a catalog outside the store.
“This was something they fooled us with. They knew how to do it. It's probably not the first time they've done this in another store,” Stilianos said. . “Especially knowing exactly what to do and say to get us to turn our backs.”
A few minutes later, a man can be seen picking up a two-month-old female golden retriever from its enclosure and stuffing the puppy inside her jacket.
“Please do the right thing and return the puppy.”
“The same thing happened before with another dog. We were actually able to get the dog back while the woman was still in the store. Once we noticed it, we could catch it,” Stilianos said. said.
The puppy cost nearly $3,000, but that wasn't the staff's biggest concern.
“You don't know who these people are. You don't know where they're going. You don't know where they live. You don't know their living conditions. Of course, I'm worried about what will happen to the dog. Will the dog be ignored and cared for properly?'' Stilianos said.
This is the only message she gave to the thieves.
“Whether you care for it or not, I hope you do the right thing and return the puppy. The best thing to do is to have this dog returned to us. We ultimately wants that. That's our end goal. We take care of these dogs and we love these dogs. We treat them like our own children. Of course I don't want to see anything happen to them,” Stilianos said.
The puppy has a microchip embedded in it, and there have been reports of theft.
Meanwhile, police said they were investigating. Anyone who recognizes these suspects or knows where the pup is is encouraged to call the Thornton Police Department at 720-913-STOP (7867).
