"He actually snuck in and hid behind one of our fish tanks," said Pet City owner Paul Stack.
Surveillance video captures the suspect hiding in a corner, waiting for the opportunity to strike. As employees are distracted, he sneaks into the kennel, going straight to the cage of a 12-week-old English bulldog. After grabbing the pet, the thief can be seen trying to conceal the dog in his bulky jacket before he casually walks out the front door.
Stack explained, "As soon as he made it right past the store's front windows, he starts running."
The bulldog is worth about $2,000. The owner suspects whoever took her might be trying to sell the pet on the black market.
Two years ago, the store had a similar robbery in which a thief took a Yorkshire terrier valued at $2,500. That pet was eventually recovered.
"We've had people do everything from using car jacks to jack open the back door… They'll do anything to steal an animal," Stack said.
What's troubling about the most recent case is that the bulldog is on medication and was recently vaccinated. The owner fears that without proper care the dog could be in danger.
Stack explained, "When they take the dog, they don't know what medications it's had, what medications it's on, when it's had vaccines, when it needs to get another one. They can easily kill the dog just by giving it the wrong medication."
The Harris County Sheriff's office is investigating the case. They say they have several strong leads, including a license plate number. But no arrest has been made.
