Puppy bandit snags pooch from pet shop

Wallingford, Conn. (WTNH) - A man was caught on camera stealing a puppy from a pet store in Wallingford Monday.

A man asked to see the puppy at Wallingford's All Pets Club, then when the coast was clear he ran out the door with him.

The puppy, whose is referred to as Babe, is just three months old.

The name of the man that stole Babe is unknown, but those at the pet store know him as a thief.

While the puppy bandit was able to hide out of view from employees, he was caught in the act on the store's surveillance cameras.

"So it is frustrating because it is like one of our family members is stolen," said Scott Conover, All Pets Club, "gone and now we don't know where he is, what is happening to him. We are worried what is going to happen to him because the gentleman who took him knows nothing about him."

Over the last year, puppies have also been stolen from All Pets Club stores in Branford and North Windham. Both times the store released the surveillance video to the media, and both times the dogs were returned.

"We put it on the news, contacted the micro system company," said Conover, "and that guy was Duke, a little Shih Tzu, and someone found him and ended up bringing him back a week later to us."

Babe is a PekeChon and worth $1,000. If the puppy bandit is caught he could be looking at a felony.

"As long as we get him back healthy," Conover said, "that is what we want, to make sure that he is okay."

All of the dogs at the pet store, including Babe, are implanted with micro chips, so if he is taken to a vet or a pound it will show up that the dog is stolen.