WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – In Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, there’s been a case of dog-napping.
A 9-week-old puppy was stolen right from its pen at a pet store in the Whitehall Mall.
Surveillance footage captures a man in a hoodie, jacket and white cap as he scopes out Canines-N-Critters.
Nearby, a woman and a young girl greet puppies.
“It’s been my dream to have my own pet shop,” Sherri Dieter said.
Dieter’s dream came true after 20 years working under the previous owner; though, recently, it’s been disrupted by a nightmare.
Raven, dog stolen from Whitehall Mall pet store
“He reached in, he took the puppy, lifted it up and put it under his jacket,” explained Dieter.
The man snatches 9-week-old Raven, a Pom-A-Poo mix, who is just small enough — about 5 or 6 pounds — to be tucked under the man’s coat.
Then, the man, woman and girl are seen quickly jetting out of the store, rounding the corner and taking off down the building hallway.
“I want this puppy back,” stressed Dieter, in a message to the person who stole the dog. “I’m tired of people taking something that’s not theirs, and then, using the child. It’s not setting good examples.”
Male caught on surveillance camera
Raven’s worth a pretty penny and more.
“Well, her price was $2,200, but the value to me is more than that, much more than that,” said Dieter, tearfully.
Dieter says staff get attached to all the canines and critters in the store.
“We’re not here just to ring up a product on the register. The animals are our family,” said Dieter.
Woman caught on surveillance camera
The store owners made flyers, and they’re giving them out to community members in hopes that someone who knows something, says something.
“We went to the local veterinarians, and other local pet shops like Petco, PetSmart, and everything,” the co-owner said.
Whitehall Township Police also has the footage and is investigating.
In addition, there’s a reward for whoever finds and returns Raven; though Dieter wouldn’t say how much.
“I’m hoping that the guilt drives him crazy,” added Dieter. “It’s not theirs. They shouldn’t have taken it, and we love the puppy, you know. It’s not a price tag to us; it’s the moral of it. How would they like if someone went to their house and walked in and took something that’s not theirs?”