CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) — A $4,000 reward is being offered and police are asking for the public’s help in finding three people who stole a pair of bulldog puppies from a Centennial pet store.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office shared an update on the case late Monday night, noting that one of the puppies was returned after seeing a news story about the theft. The sheriff’s office said the woman told them she had purchased the puppy from a street vendor in north Denver for $1,500.
“She immediately called the store when she recognized her puppy matched the photos in the story. Perfect Pets is grateful for being reunited with the dog and plans to give her a reward,” the sheriff’s office said.
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An employee of Perfect Pets reunites with a stolen bulldog puppy (Courtesy the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office) -
An employee of Perfect Pets reunites with a stolen bulldog puppy (Courtesy the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office) -
This puppy was one of two stolen from Perfect Pets in Centennial on Saturday. (Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
The puppies were taken from the Perfect Pets store at 6840 S. University Boulevard on Sunday at approximately 1:30 p.m. The puppies were priced at $4,299 apiece.
It was all captured by security cameras.
Police say one man faked a medical emergency to create a distraction while the others opened a cage and took the puppies, running from staff members who tried desperately to stop them. Police arrested one man, but the other two left in a gold Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows and no plates possibly driven by a woman.
The World Animal Foundation reports two million pets have been stolen in the U.S., seven out of ten pet thefts involve dogs and only 6% of owners will get their pets back. Purebreds are most sought after and pit bulls are often stolen for use in illegal fighting.
FOX31 spoke with Dr. Bill Henry of Metropolitan State University about the mindset it takes to commit such a crime.
He said some hope to make money from the sale of pets but others are simply cruel and heartless.
“More darkly, there have been cases in which animals have been stolen for the specific purpose of becoming a target of abuse,” he said.
The store is offering a reward to anyone who can return the puppies safely. They were offering $1,000 per puppy or $4,000 for the safe return of both puppies and the arrest of the man responsible. It’s unclear how the reward has changed given the return of one of the puppies.
Contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s tipline at 720-874-8477 with information. You can remain anonymous.