Two dogs stolen from a pet store in Massapequa

On Friday 4th February, two  dogs were stolen from a pet store in Westfield Mall, Massapequa. The incident took place in The Pet Company store, at 9:10pm, when five men and one woman entered the store. Police have said that some of the group distracted the sales associate, as the rest of them smuggled the dogs out of the store under their jackets. A witness reported the theft to the store clerk, but the gang had already fled the mall with a white and brown Chinese Crested female, valued at $1,235 and a black and white Cockalier male, valued at $1,400; both between 10 and 12 weeks old.

Incidents like this could well be on the rise due to an increase in the trend of ‘designer dogs’ – with the top designer breeds at the moment being Labradoodle (Labrador and Poodle cross), Cockerpoos (Cocker Spaniel and Poodle cross), Cavachon (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise cross) and one of the dogs in question, the Cockalier (Cocker Spaniel and Cavalier cross). The term ‘designer dog’ relates to the cross breeding of specific pedigree breeds to get the best of both temperaments and physical appearance.

Nassau police have released photos of similar looking dogs to aid in their recovery.  Anyone with any information about the thefts should contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.