$1,200 Dog Stolen From Mall Pet Store Recovered
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) -- Authorities in the Twin Cities are wrapping up a case they thought might never be solved.
This is the victim: A 3-month-old shih-tzu/poodle mix. A man pretending to shop at the Har Mar Pet Shop in Roseville last week swiped her and ran off.
Anna Tetz works at the shop.
"When we told the cops that we lost her, they said there's a slim to none chance of getting her back," Tetz said.
It's policy at Har Mar Pet Shop for people to hand over their license before they can play with a pup. Staff tells us that on Jan. 19, a man with his eyes on this one said he forget his ID.
"And he waited until no one was paying attention and he bolted and we didn't, catch him in time," Tetz said.
The whole reason she's safe and sound is because an employee at a nearby shoe store as the man took her away and saw a car speed off.
A week later, two Roseville Police Department investigators took that plate number and sniffed things out.
"He knocked on the door and we could see in the window the dog was running around on the inside of the house so we knew we had the right house," Investigator Jason Gehrman said.
Police say a man inside admitted stealing the dog to sell for extra money. Officers arrested him and one other person. And the little dog was freed to the staff who'd missed her so.
Tina Papineau's father owns the shop. She cried when officers returned the puppy. A happy ending thanks to puppy love and puppy luck.
"If somebody gets her, Lucky is her name, cause this never, never happens," Parineau said.
They've had a few dognapping incidents over the years but say they've never gotten one of the victims back, until now. Lucky will be going to the veterinarian. She appears to have a cold.
After she gets well, she'll be for sale, for $1,195.
