Two stolen puppies recovered by police

FORT WAYNE, Ind., (WANE) - Two puppies stolen from the Petland at 10538 Maysville Road have been recovered by the Fort Wayne Police Department.

Police found the Italian Greyhound and Chiweenie, a Dachsund/Chihuahua mix while searching a home and immediately notified the owner of the store.

The animals were checked by Animal Care and Control and have since been returned safely to Petland.

The third stolen puppy, an English Bulldog, is still missing.

"I was more relieved than anybody else. Everybody else was just really excited to see the two, now we're just wondering about the one," said Petland Manager Kit Farrar. "I figured eventually they would make it back, I just didn't expect it to be so quick."

A veterinarian checked the puppies Wednesday afternoon and gave them both a clean bill of health. Both are being kept separate from the rest of the store's pets overnight, but will be back up for sale Thursday.

Farrar says,"We're looking forward to sending them home with somebody we know will take good care of them."

Robbers hit the store last Wednesday night. The suspect or suspects snatched the three purebred dogs, along with about $20,000 dollars in merchandise.

Workers learned about the robbery early Thursday.

"At 7 o'clock my kennel manager and staff came in to feed the puppies and clear the kennels and everything," recalled Farrar. "That's when my kennel manager noticed something was wrong."

Farrar rushed in to find the puppies missing, along with empty shelves and racks. Each of the pups was between nine to ten weeks old and anything but cheap.

"The bulldog is almost four thousand dollars, that's our most expensive breed," Farrar told NewsChannel 15. "We just want the puppies back safe. They're very young and need to be returned immediately so they can continue their veterinary care."

Farrar says the robbers pried their way in through the back dooor, and then kicked in his office door to steal the safe.

And they didn't stop there.

"A whole bunch of our Eukanuba food, all our electronic collars, designer shampoos, retractable leashes, a bunch of filters from our fish department. It seemed like they were collecting the right things to take," said Farrar.

Because of the volume and sizes of the items stolen, Farrar suspects more than one robber was involved. He says police were able to find a few fingerprints to analyze.

The store had no alarm, or cameras. There is some surveillance video from the nearby Wal-Mart that could help though. The possibility of the robbery being an inside job has just about been ruled out.

In the meantime, Farrar's installed a deadbolt, and an alarm system is next. Police are also watching the building.

Petland's partnered with a group called HelpMeFindMYPET to get the word out about the heist and they're still actively searching for the third stolen puppy.

HelpmefindMYPET is an organization that helps recover lost ot stolen animals. It reports that the stolen puppies were all microchipped and enrolled in its registry. The group sent out an alert for all three puppies and is works closely with Fort Wayne police to locate the last one.
 

If you have information on the third stolen puppy, call HelpmefindMYPET’s 24 hour toll free hotline at 866-699-FIND (3463) or visit the website.