Police are searching for a suspect after a nine-week-old Cockapoo puppy and four eight-week-old kittens were reported stolen from a Barrie pet store early Sunday morning.
The break-in took place at Doogan’s Pet Centre around 3:20 a.m., according to Barrie police.
Surveillance footage shows a man smashing a portion of the glass front door, before heading straight to the back of the store and stealing the five pets from their cages. The entire theft took two minutes, investigators estimate.
“We’ve never had anything like this happen before,” the store’s owner Lindsay Fitzgerald told CTV News. “It’s hard to understand why, but it’s a lot of effort and risk to do that for a pet.”
The suspect was seen fleeing the store after placing the animals inside a plastic bag. He is described as a white male, believed to be in his late-20s, with a thin build and dark beard.
The puppy is described as an apricot-coloured Cockapoo and the kittens are of mixed colour.
“We are concerned they’ve only had their first set of vaccinations and they’re prone to dehydration,” Barrie Police Const. Sarah Bamford said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Barrie Police Investigative Services at 705-725-7025, ext. 2129 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
