NOVI, Mich. – Novi Police Department is searching for a suspect after a Chihuahua puppy was stolen from a pet store on Tuesday.
Police are searching for the man who shoplifted a two-month-old Chihuahua from Petland Novi in Twelve Oaks Mall on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at approximately 2:44 p.m.
The pet store is saying the dog was only about two pounds.
“It’s just a baby. Just two months old,” says Melissa Novakowski, general manager of Petland Novi.
She says one moment, a man is taking pictures and playing with the puppy, which is not unusual. It’s what happens next that took her and other employees by surprise.
“Within less than a minute he was taking photos, he walked out of the room and just walked right out this door and then just picked up his speed and started running,” says Novakowski.
Police describe the man as about six feet tall, in his 20s or 30s, his hair is in locs and he left the mall in a blue or black Pacifica with an Ohio license plate.
“It’s a puppy and we’re not sure that the person who stole it is able to care for it and if they sell it without the papers or the knowledge of which shots it’s had or anything like that,” says Commander Jason Meier of Novi Police Department. “The dog could obviously be in some danger.”
The dog is valued at $5,300. That includes vaccines, microchips and other necessities the pet is sold with.
“We want to know that the puppy is okay. These are dogs that we have to feed multiple times a day,” Novakowski says. “She’s (the dog) going to be nervous. She’s going to be scared. She’s used to being here with other puppies. We really work with our customers getting the dog, making sure we’re matching the right puppy with the right family. So this person just taking this dog and we have no control. It’s very scary to not know what our dog is going through right now.”
If anyone has information on the suspect or this case, contact Novi Police Department at 248-348-7100.