17 Puppies Stolen From Pet Shop in Chicago

17 Puppies Stolen from a South Side pet shop in Chicago late Saturday evening. After smashing the store’s front window late Saturday evening, the burglar bypassed the guinea pigs, bunnies and even the Shetland sheepdog and headed straight for the gold mine: a collection of frisky, tail-wagging puppies that retail for as much as $1,000 apiece. 

The burglar is believed to have filled one of the store’s plastic garbage cans with Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Beagles, Huskies, a Shih Tzu, a Puggle and a Pekingese before escaping out the back door. 

Animal advocates say the puppies undoubtedly are headed toward the pet black market, a highly mobile and unorganized racket that can be found in urban parking lots and rural bazaars across the nation. Sellers typically offer the animals for less than one-third of the store price, and sometimes for as little as $50.