Staats says it happened so fast, the thieves knew what they were going for.
"They just grabbed them and threw them," she said.
Surveillance video shows two guys in hoodies breaking into the pet store around 4am Thursday. They used hammers to smash in windows and ran off with three puppies -- two shih tzus and one miniature pinscher. None of the other animals was hurt, just a little ruffled.
Staats said, "I think they were all traumatized with all the glass shattered and the noise and the alarm going off and everything."
Staats says each puppy is worth $1,000 and losing them is a major hit to her business. But she has a bigger concern because the puppies are so little.
"If you don't feed them every two to three hours their blood sugar drops and they could lose them in a matter of hours," she explained.
Customers call the theft disgusting.
"It's pretty rotten, how someone could steal an animal, a life," said customer Mike Spruill.
Customer Jorge Ingram said, "I don't understand why people would do something like that."
Staats just hopes someone will identify the suspects from the video and see to it the thieves are punished.
"Bring my puppies back," she said.
What the thieves didn't take was the puppies' paperwork, but even without registration they could resell them for between $500 and $700.
Stafford and Sugar Land police say they haven't seen a lot of pet thefts in the area, but anyone with information on this case should contact police.
