Watch: Thieves steal puppies from Pierce County pet store, pushing employees to floor

Detectives with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in identifying three people who stole expensive puppies from a South Hill pet store Monday afternoon, shoving employees who tried to stop them to the ground.

In a video the department posted on Facebook on Tuesday, two men and a woman are seen grabbing puppies from their case and dodging Puppyland Puyallup employees who tried to stop them and block the exit.

Some employees were pushed and knocked to the ground, so the case is under investigation as a strong-arm robbery, police spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss told The News Tribune. Three dogs were stolen, a poodle puppy worth $3,200 and two terrier puppies worth $3,600 and $3,400, he said.

Moss said there was another theft at the store Thursday and a French bulldog worth $5,400 was taken by two men. The descriptions of the people who stole the puppy on March 2 were different than the group who stole the three puppies Tuesday, so police are unsure if the robberies are related, he said.

Around 12:20 p.m. Monday two men and a woman entered the Puppyland store in the 13000 block of Meridian Street East and told employees they were looking to adopt dogs, Moss said. One of the men picked up a dog and started walking out, and then the woman picked up a dog and walked out behind him. As employees tried to stop them from leaving and struggled to get the dogs back, the suspects barged their way through, knocking some employees down, he said.

Employees were able to pull a rottweiler puppy away from one of the suspects, and it was recovered, Moss said.

“Deputies arrived on scene within minutes, followed by a K9 unit, but they were unable to locate the suspects,” the department wrote on Facebook.

An employee at Puyallup Puppyland told The News Tribune Tuesday the business had no comment.

Moss said anyone with information about the robberies can call the Sheriff’s office or leave a tip online. You can also call 1-800-222-TIPS.