Search for puppy stolen from pet store in Kearny

KEARNY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A woman walked into a pet store in New Jersey and walked out with an adorable puppy, without paying. The theft was caught on camera.

"She came here when my dad was with another customer, and my dad went in the back to get another dog for the customer, and she opened this up, took out the dog, and ran off," said Maria Duarte, the store owner's daughter.

This type of puppy love, well there's nothing good about it. A 12-week-old Shiba Inu was snatched right out in the open.

"I found it very disrespectful how she just came in here and thought she could just get away with it," Duarte said.

Of course, the 1,200 purebred had been on proud display in the front window of "Oh My Dog" in Kearny.

Her unofficial name is "Brownie".

"I feel so sad, and so mad, and afraid for the dog," said Ingrid Bellardi, the pet store owner.

On Tuesday, the store owner says a woman stuffed the puppy into her jacket and walked out.

In hindsight, they say the whole time she was in the store she was acting suspicious.

"She came in, and there was a puppy in here, and she saw that my dad was busy with the printer so she just grabbed the puppy and was almost out the door when my dad got up and so she put the puppy back," Duarte said.

Still images from the store's surveillance system are all Kearney police have to work with for now.

But, they're also checking cameras from nearby stores to see if there is any other video of the suspect.

"We care too much for people to just come in and just stole it, we never know what happened with the dog," Bellardi said.