An investigation is underway after a $4,500 dog was stolen from a Doral pet store Friday afternoon, with the brazen theft caught on camera.
Employees at World Famous Puppies on Northwest 52nd Street said a Yorkie was taken by a woman around 10 a.m. Surveillance video obtained by NBC6 showed a woman with the dog in her arms walk past the checkout counter and straight out the door.
"She was very aggressive," said Carlos San Andres, who was working in the store at the time of the theft. "You know how [it] is the law in this country. She can press charges, and that's why we only call the police."
San Andres said that authorities are now investigating, but as of Saturday afternoon, there were no updates from either police or the public about the whereabouts of the dog or the woman seen on camera walking out of the store with it.
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World Famous Puppies is known for its adorable breeds and global social media following.
San Andres said that the woman who is believed to have taken the dog had come into the store on previous occasions.
"It was a client. She came in, like, two weeks ago. She take a look at the Yorkie," he said. "She was saying that her mom is going to buy her the puppy. We tell her the price, and she came in, like, a week ago, too, the same way: 'I'm looking for the puppy. It's going to be mine. My mom is going to buy it.'"
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Customers continued to come into the store on Saturday, asking to see and hold puppies for potential purchase. San Andres added that the woman in this case did the same, but also made comments about how it would be "crazy" if they sold the Yorkie to anyone else.
A similar dog could be seen in the store on Saturday, but San Andres said the Yorkie that was taken was slightly larger than the one that remained.
“She started screaming at me, some people that I work with, and started screaming at them. She was under some influence. She was not doing well," San Andres said. "We are worried because I don't know if that dog is eating well, if he's drinking water well. We don’t know.”
Anyone with information about this theft or the woman allegedly involved should contact World Famous Puppies or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers.
