A new pet store suffered thousands of dollars in damage after a night-time break-in left shattered windows and broken equipment.
The incident happened at Carnivore Kingdom on Cliff Street at about 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 26. An intruder is seen on the business' security camera smashing the front window with a rock in order to steal the store's point-of-sales computer and cash drawer. Both items were later recovered, having been broken and dumped.
Ashley MacLeod, who opened the shop less than a month before, said she believes the equipment was abandoned because there was no cash inside of it to steal.
"I left the key in it with the drawer open, so what I feel like is the perpetrator had actually taken it out, realized it was of no value to him and just dropped it and left..." MacLeod said. "It's still very heartbreaking, it's like someone is reaching into my soul and my body and taking my hopes and my dreams out with my cash drawer and my equipment."
Now, on top of the expenses for opening a new business, she faces deductibles for replacements, and the additional cost of upgrading her security to prevent a pointless break-in from happening again.
"Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money upfront now. There is a GoFundMe that has a little bit of traction, which I'm hopeful is going to help, but I have to decide whether I want to prioritize improving my security now or replacing the equipment to function better."
In the meantime, MacLeod is using her point-of-sales system on a smaller device, and said customers have been understanding about her inability to print receipts and the delay with processing transactions.
"A lot of people mentioned roll-down gates, security gates for the front of the store. I think bars might be a little bit cheaper of an option to start. So definitely improving the security is a priority, first."
In a statement, reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, said the suspect left on foot and headed south on Cliff Street, dressed all in black, wearing jeans and a tuque. The cash drawer was later located in Maffeo Sutton Park.
MacLeod added that despite the hardships facing people in the community, Nanaimo is still the warmest community she's ever lived in.
"I feel sad that people think this is their resource to provide for themselves and their family, because this is mine. I come here every day and I just hope to make the lives better of the pets around me, and whatever I can do to provide for my family through that is just a bonus to me."
