Woman Tucks Puppy Under Her Jacket, Leaves Store

A Naperville pet store is on the lookout for a woman who stole a puppy by hiding it underneath her jacket.

The incident was captured on the surveillance camera at Petland Naperville.

The woman was handed a white 2-month-old Havanese puppy named Casper, and when the employee walked away, she put the dog under her jacket and walked out of the store.

"She walked in the door, she walked around for a little bit and asked to play with the puppy. We got it out for her, and as soon as we put her in the room and checked on some other customers, she got up and walked right out the front door," store owner Adam Stachowiak said.

Stachowiak says Casper needs special care, including feedings every three hours, which is why his store is staffed 24 hours a day to meet the animals' needs.

"It's scary to think of whether she's feeding him enough, is she giving him enough water, is she sitting in the back of a car somewhere?" Stachowiak said.

About 30 minutes earlier, the same thing happened at a Petland store in Bolingbrook. A woman was also caught on surveillance video stealing a male 14 week old white Maltese puppy named Hercules.

It's not clear if the two incidents are related, but there's no doubt in Stachowiak's mind.

"When she's obviously going from store to store, it seems like it's more money-motivated," Stachowiak said.

Anyone with information on the puppy's whereabouts or the identity of the woman is asked to call 866-699-3463 or local police.

"We were hoping to match him with a really nice family, and I hope if we don't get him back, he does end up with a really nice family that takes care of him," Stachowiak said.

Stachowiak says the same woman may have also stolen a puppy from a St. Louis Petland store on Thursday morning.

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