Security cameras in Houston, Texas, captured video of a burglary at a pet store in which three men made off with loot worth about US$20,000.
The haul?
Six Bulldog puppies.
According to Houston Police, three men driving a white pickup truck, wearing balaclavas and armed with crowbars broke into Pet City around 7:30 p.m. last Friday.
One of the men is seen using a sledgehammer to smash through the glass on the door leading into the store.
Once inside, the men ransack the cages for their targets: four English Bulldog puppies, valued at around US$5,000 each, and two French Bulldog pups, worth $3,500 each approximately.
According to police, the six puppies could have a “street value” of well over US$20,000.
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“The people who steal from us all want the English bulldogs,” Pet City owner Sheri Stack told KPRC-2 News in Houston. “They just want to sell the puppies and make some money.”
Stack is making a strong appeal for the dogs’ return, and not just because they want their property back. Stack says the dogs require special care and attention their new “owners” may not be providing.
“The English Bulldogs can’t go outside,” Stack said. “The heat can kill them.”
What’s more, store employees say they believe one of the pups may have injured itself when it attempted to jump out of its cage during the robbery.
Pet City has offered a $800 reward per puppy for the animals’ safe return.