CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KMGH) – Thieves at a Colorado pet store allegedly faked having a seizure to cause a distraction to steal two English bulldog puppies.
Bianca Rose Larsen, the manager of Perfect Pets, said the store has been robbed twice within a month.
“I have no clue exactly why all of a sudden crime or why theft has, you know, at our store, especially in the last, like, two weeks, has skyrocketed,” she said.
Surveillance video of the most recent theft shows a man falling to the ground. Larsen said he was faking a seizure.
“It was obviously a decoy to distract employees and people towards that guy on the floor,” she said.
While employees rushed to help the man, video shows another man grabbing two puppies and run out of the store as workers tried to stop him.
“He’s throwing them around like pieces of meat and just grabs them and, like, scrambles out of here,” Larsen said.
The English bulldog puppies that were stolen are valued at more than $4,000 each.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. They said one person was arrested Friday at the store, but the other suspect got away in a gold Cadillac Escalade.
One of the puppies was returned on Monday. Officials said a woman bought it for $1,500 from a street vendor and returned it to the store.
The pet shop is planning on giving a reward to the woman.
Perfect Pets is offering a $4,000 reward for the safe return of both puppies, as well as for the arrest of the thieves responsible.
Until they find the second puppy and the people who stole them, Larsen said the store is increasing security.
“It should be a warm, happy, loving environment with all these puppies, and instead, you’re just working in fear that someone’s going to, you know, try to steal one. You always have to be on your feet,” Larsen said.
Although Perfect Pets has been the target of protests against retail pet sales, Larsen said she doesn’t believe that is connected to the thefts.
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