A puppy taken from Paws N Jaws pet store in Nanaimo North Town Centre has been found, alive and uninjured.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, the nine-week-old Chihuahua-dachshund puppy, named Hercules, was found Dec. 11 at a home in central Nanaimo, following a tip.
Stolen puppy recovered uninjured in local home, search to identity suspect who stole him continues #Nanaimo #Animals pic.twitter.com/gHH9dFWAWo
— Nanaimo RCMP (@NanaimoRCMP) December 13, 2014
The pet store was subsequently contacted and the puppy was returned.
The puppy went missing from the pet store on Dec. 10 shortly after 3:30 p.m., while a clerk was showing another puppy to a customer. While she was busy with the customer, a man asked if he could see a puppy, too, and went into the puppy display area.
When the clerk returned the dog she was showing to the display kennel, she noticed one of the store's other dogs was missing.
No one else was in the puppy enclosure or had access to them at the time. Staff and investigators concluded the suspect concealed the puppy inside his jacket and walked out of the store with it.
"The investigation continues to identify a male allegedly responsible for taking Hercules," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, Const. Gary O'Brien, said in a press release.
The suspect was described as Caucasian, 5-feet-11, slim, in his 30s, with short, dark hair. He was wearing a baseball cap and zippered jacket.
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The puppy was eight to nine weeks old, black and tan with brown dots over its eyes. It did not have a collar or tattoo.
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If you have information on this incident, please call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.