Watch CBS News

Video Captures Puppy Theft At Pet Store

 HOFFMAN ESTATES (STMW) -- A man who purportedly was shopping for a puppy at a northwest suburban pet shop last week instead stole a Yorkshire Terrier valued at $1,700, police said.

The man, described as a male between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 inches tall, wearing gray and black clothes, in addition to black gloves, with a tattoo on his neck and wearing a black rosary, went to the Petland store at 11 Golf Center in Hoffman Estates about 5:25 p.m. on Thursday and asked to see one of their black and tan Yorkshire Terriers, a police report said.

A clerk brought that kind of dog to the man, who took it into a viewing room, the report said. A few minutes later the man asked the clerk if he could see another dog, and the clerk went to get a different dog. The clerk showed him the second dog, and according to the report the man said "that one is too big."

The clerk brought the second dog back to the kennel area, and when she returned to the viewing area she saw the door was ajar. The man, along with the Yorkshire Terrier, was gone. The clerk told police she saw the man, who was only in the store for about four minutes, leave the store and walk northbound toward Golf Road. She did not see if the man entered a vehicle. 

Responding officers checked out the immediate area, but did not find the man or the dog, which had a $1,700 price tag.

The puppy was about 10 weeks old and weighed just 1 pound, 3 ounces, according to one of the store's owners.

"He is a very small puppy and needs to eat a special diet regularly," the store owner said in an e-mail.

The thief is described as having a medium build, with brown spiked hair, and the tattoo on his neck was an unknown name in cursive script, the police report said.

Police "are actively pursuing the case," Hoffman Estates Police Sgt. Greg Poulos said Monday. Anyone who might have information is asked to contact the police department at (847) 882-1818. 

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.