Animal News
Police seek couple who stole puppies from Dallas Petland on Christmas Eve
Dallas police are seeking information on two people who broke into a Petland pet store in North Dallas and stole multiple bulldog puppies.
According to the police report, the theft took place on December 24, 2020, at approximately 1:15 am. The Petland store is located at 11909 Preston Rd., at the intersection of Forest Lane.
The report describes them as "two unknown suspects" driving a white Dodge Challenger. But as the video posted on the DPD site makes clear, it's a man and woman, and it seems fairly obvious from the woman's behavior that she is very familiar with the store, so perhaps an ex-employee or in some way related to a store employee.
The video shows the duo gain entry by breaking the glass on the door. She jumps over the handle to get in. They're carrying plastic bags which seems like an unwise way to transport your stolen puppies.
They rush to the back area where the animals are kept, and head straight for certain kennels. They open at least three, toss the sleeping puppies into the bags, and run out of the store.
An exterior camera shows the woman put the bag in the back seat. The man gets into the passenger seat, and she drives as they flee the scene. The entire thing takes two minutes.
Petland has been the target of protests for more than a decade over their practice of selling animals from puppy mills, which surround their company headquarters in Chillicothe, Ohio.
They've been charged repeatedly with selling sick animals and with not observing proper cleaning protocols - charges listed on their Better Business Bureau profile and corroborated by numerous Humane Society of the United States investigations, the most recent in 2018 which found a dead puppy in the freezer, puppies with hacking coughs and runny noses, sick puppies confined to isolation, and overcrowded cages.
This Petland store is a repeat offender that has seen numerous puppies stolen, with limited security other than surveillance cameras.
The Dallas Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding this offense to contact Property Crimes Detective Sheerin at (214) 670-7160 or at Sara.sheerin@dallascityhall.com. Reference case #228988-2020.
