Five puppies stolen in B.C. found as thieves try to sell them

Five Shih Tzu puppies that had been stolen during a break-in at an Abbotsford home have been reunited with their owner.

The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) reported that the litter of four-week-old puppies was stolen Tuesday morning from a home in central Abbotsford, although the mom was left behind.

Const. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Deparment said the pups were located at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday after a passerby reported seeing a man and a woman attempting to sell Shih Tzu puppies out of a Rubbermaid container in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

One of the suspects ran with a female puppy named Jude, and the APD issued an alert on Tuesday evening, asking the public to keep their eyes out for the missing dog.

APD Sgt. Judy Bird said that “old-school policing” helped track down Jude on Tuesday evening. She said an officer knocked on doors and asked around, and the dog was returned at around 10:30 p.m.

All five puppies are now back with their owner, and Bird said police in Abbotsford and Vancouver are continuing to investigate and hope to lay charges.