Pet owner speaks out after French Bulldogs are stolen out of her car at Smyrna shopping center

Elizabeth Rawlins
·2 min read
17

Smyrna Police are investigating after two French Bulldogs were stolen out of a woman’s car while she was inside a store.

This happened Saturday afternoon in broad daylight in the parking lot of the Cumberland Crossing Shopping Center on Cumberland Boulevard.

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Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins spoke to the pet owner who did not want to be identified.

During WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. on Sunday, she showed Rawlins the grainy surveillance video that may be the key to bringing her pups, Denver and Dallas home.

“He got in his car, backed up and parked directly behind my vehicle,” said the dog owner. “He got out and was ducking down.”

The dog owner parked just a few feet away from the entrance of the beauty supply store, briefly leaving her dogs while she ran inside for a few minutes.

When she returned less than 15 minutes later, they were gone.

She says police have been able to identify the suspects seen in the video but they have not yet released the names of who they are looking for.

This comes as the trend to steal certain dog breeds continues to rise.

“We’ve heard of criminal enterprises stealing dogs and it’s become a real big problem,” said Tom Sharpe of the American Kennel Club.

Officials from the American Kennel Club told Channel 2 Action News back in July, that the French bulldog is currently the number one breed thieves target.

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“You turn around and sell it for thousands of dollars to someone who is not going to ask,” said Sharpe. “You have just made a lot of money.”

But for this dog owner and many others we have spoken to over the last year, it’s not about the money. Their dogs are another family member, priceless and irreplaceable.

Experts say the best way to protect your pets is to get them microchipped.

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