Strangers steal lost dog by posing as pet’s owners, Georgia police say
A stolen dog is missing after Georgia police said two strangers pretended to be the pet’s owners.
Two women are accused of snatching the Shih Tzu-Poodle mix Sept. 9 after someone posted an alert about the lost dog on the Ring app, Gwinnett County police said in an Oct. 7 news release.
The designer dogs are usually sold by breeders and can cost from $2,200 to $4,500, according to Dogster.com. The average cost is $2,500, though pricing is dependent on the dog’s size, coat and other factors, the online magazine reported.
Investigators said the pet, a 5-year-old Shih-Poo named Lucy, escaped its owner’s patio from a ground-floor apartment at a complex in Lawrenceville.
The dog wandered the neighborhood before someone at the pool found it, police said. That person told officers they found the dog and posted about it on the Ring app.
Soon afterward, two women arrived and claimed the pet was their dog “Coco,” the person who found the dog told police. The strangers took the pooch and left in a blue Cadillac SUV, police said.
Authorities released surveillance photos of the accused thieves and the vehicle, which police said didn’t have tags.
Lucy hasn’t been seen since. She’s described as black, white and gray and weighs 5 pounds, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett County police detectives at 770-513-5300, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
Lawrenceville is about a 30-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Strangers steal lost dog by posing as pet’s owners, Georgia police say."