Thirteen puppies taken from a pet store in Manchester, New Hampshire, on
Tuesday morning were recovered hours later after a witness called
police.
Police said four teenagers are accused of breaking into Bill's Pet and
Aquarium and taking the puppies.
"We had chocolate Labs, a Chihuahua, two Cockapoos, a Yorkie and a
Maltese and a couple great Pyrenees mixes," said Bill Sturgeon, owner of
Bill's Pet and Aquarium.
At about 6:30am, Mike Gearty, who works next door, noticed the front door of the building had been smashed and called police.
An officer sent to investigate spotted some suspects.
"One of the officers observed several individuals, one of whom was carrying a puppy," said Sgt. Brian O'Keefe. "A foot pursuit ensued, and officers ended up locating and apprehending four individuals."
Police got another tip, when one of the suspects' grandmothers walked
out of a house and announced she had several puppies inside that didn't
belong to her.
Police removed the puppies. Officials said the puppies were
microchipped, making it easier to identify them.
Victor Morina, 17; Samara Massey, 18; Curtis Massey, 17; and Ian
Forsberg, 17, all of Manchester, were arrested. The four were charged
with receiving stolen property.
In addition, Morina and Forsberg were charged with resisting arrest.
Curtis Massey and Morina also face charges of violating bail conditions.
Sturgeon said he has had dogs taken before, but nothing on this scale.
He said he doesn't know why the puppies were taken, but he said there is
a market for stolen pets.
Sturgeon said the puppies weren't gone for long, and they appear to be
fine, but he'll have them checked out by a veterinarian before they're
ready for sale.
"Having them back in our care is great," he said. "It's wonderful."
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