Puppy Thief Makes Off With Another Dog
(CBS) -- A woman who is believed to have stolen two designer puppies from Chicago area retailers may have hit a St. Louis pet shop a day earlier.
A blond suspect on Friday entered two Petland stores – one in Bolingbrook and one in Naperville – and made off with both a Maltese and a Havenese puppy after getting employees to let her handle the animals.
A similar-looking woman is seen on surveillance video at a St. Louis Petland location pulling the same scam. She was left alone with two puppies, a Maltese and a Havenese, before making off with the former.
The eight-week-old puppy, a female, was valued at $1,800. But owner Jeff Hartmann is worried sick about the animal because the thief may not know how to care for the dog.
"We're afraid she's not focused on the puppy, she's focused on adding to her collection," Hartmann tells CBS 2.
The Petland franchisee posted information about the crime on the store's Facebook page.
