3 snatch Rottweiler puppy from shop

The black and tan female, 8 weeks old, is worth $1,300.

By Times Staff Writer
Published July 11, 2007

TAMPA - Investigators are searching for three people they believe nabbed a Rottweiler puppy from a Tampa pet store Monday.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office reported an 8-week-old female black and tan Rottweiler valued at $1,300 disappeared from All About Puppies, 13705 N Dale Mabry Highway, about 3:30 p.m.

Three suspects entered the store, and while two distracted the store clerk, the third grabbed the puppy. Then, all of them fled in a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

The suspects are described as two white women in their 20s. One was described as being about 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 10, weighing 200 pounds with light hair wearing black capri pants and a black T-shirt. The second is said to be about 5 feet 4, 130 pounds with brown hair and a pink shirt. The third person was a man in his 20s, about 6 feet to 6 feet 4, 180 to 200 pounds, with light brown hair, wearing a gray T-shirt with blue writing on it that read, "Florida Football."

Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-873-8477.

On the night of April 12, a similar pet store theft occurred when a man wielding a sledgehammer smashed his way into a Petland store, then shattered a glass cage to snatch a $2,200 Yorkshire terrier puppy from 7699 W Waters Ave., sheriff's deputies said.

[Last modified July 11, 2007, 07:09:26]