Puppy Thieves

THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4)- Thornton Police are looking for two thieves who stole puppies after hiding them inside their clothing.

Police said both men just walked out the door of the Pet Ranch located at 3823 E. 120th Ave. in Thornton with the puppies hidden.

The first puppy nabbing happened March 10 about 4:30 p.m. The man had taken a Maltese/Silky Terrier puppy valued at $1,099.

The man pick up a puppy and hide it in his jacket and walk out of the premisses, witnesses said. He is described as a white man in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-6 with five stars tattooed on the right side of his neck and an unknown name tattooed on the left side of his neck.

He also had a profanity tattooed on the knuckles of both hands. He was wearing black jeans and a dark blue “security type” jacket with the American flag on the left shoulder.

Just four days later about 7:10 p.m. another puppy was stolen this time a Chihuahua valued at $799. A man used his family as a distraction.

Witnesses told police a family of four, an adult male and female with two little girls looked at a black and tan Chihuahua puppy. The man concealed the puppy in his pants under his shirt and then walked out of the store. The woman and two girls followed.

“Grabbed the puppy, ran to the back of the store, put it in his pants, signaled his wife it was time to go, came up to the front and held both is toddlers’ hands as he walked out the door with it in his pants,”

The man is described as white in his late 30s to early 40s, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8, 160 to 180 pounds with short spiked dirty blonde hair. He has multiple tattoos on his arms and was wearing a brown shirt and dark jeans.

The woman is described as Hispanic in her late 30s to early 40s, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9, 125-130 pounds with dark shoulder length hair. She was last seen wearing a grey shirt.

The two small children were girls about three and five years old.

The puppies need special care because they are so young and so small.

Police do not believe the two cases are connected.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro Area Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867, or call the Thornton Police Department.

This man stole a Chihuahua puppy from the Pet Ranch in Thornton (credit: Thornton Police)

A Chihuahua puppy was stolen from the Pet Ranch in Thornton. (credit: CBS)

This man stole a Maltese tea cup puppy from the Pet Ranch in Thornton (credit: Thornton Police)

A Maltese tea cup puppy was stolen from the Pet Ranch in Thornton. (credit: CBS)

Shameless man used his family as a distraction to steel a Chihuahua puppy from the Pet Ranch in Thornton (credit: Thornton Police)

Rise in pet ownership for singles

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) survey shows that singles both those never married and those recently separated or divorced are increasingly turning to pets for love and a sense of family.

According to AVMA’s U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, it’s still more common for a pet to be owned by a family, but pet ownership among single people increased by 16.6% from 2006 to 2011, and is now 54.7%. That compares to just 1.37% growth in pet ownership for families, to 66.4% now.

Oxygen masks for pets

DOVER — A local resident told Dover Fire Capt. Mike Mossor about a grant geared toward providing oxygen masks specifically for cats and dogs.

Mossor liked the idea. He knew from experience how attached people are to their pets, even in the chaos and aftermath of a fire.

“If they have pets, most of the time, folks are pretty emotional,” he said.

While the Dover firefighters have been known to use oxygen masks to save man’s best friends, Mossor recognized an opportunity to improve pet-rescue efforts.

So he applied for a grant, and within two weeks, the Dover Fire Department owned two pet oxygen-mask kits from Invisible Fence of Canton.

The company, according to owner Rob Myers, has established “Project Breathe” with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks.

The purpose of the donations is to allow firefighters to administer oxygen to pets suffering from smoke inhalation when rescued from fires.

“We realize that humans are the first priority, but, in many cases, pets can be saved if firefighters have the right equipment,” said Myers. “Project Breathe is simply a way of giving firefighters the tools necessary to save pets’ lives.”

Each kit contains a set of three sizes of oxygen masks for dogs and cats, Mossor said. He noted that one set is on the ladder truck, which is the first truck taken to fires within the city, and the other is on Engine 201, the first truck taken to fires in Dover Township.

Mossor was quick to emphasize that firefighters don’t typically respond to animal calls. The masks are “simply a tool we can use if we come across an animal that has been overcome by smoke in a fire.”

When they do, they’ll be better equipped to help pets rather than use human masks that simply don’t fit.

Furry Marten Disrupts a Soccer game in Switzerland

A furry marten, run around the field a few minutes into the top division match between Thun and FC Zurich on Sunday and evaded efforts by players and match officials to catch it. Play briefly resumed when the animal ran into the stands, but the marten reappeared shortly afterward.

Dog saved missing Polish girl

A small dog saved the life of a three-year-old girl who went missing in Poland and spent the night in freezing temperatures, according to Polish firefighters.

The little girl named Julia, disappeared on Friday and was found lying in marshes several kilometres from her house on Saturday morning, with the dog by her side.

Firefighters who found the girl said the dog kept the child warm enough throughout the night, with temperatures plunging to minus five degrees Celsius.

More than 250 firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and residents searched for the child throughout the night.

They also employed a police helicopter with infrared cameras and six search dogs to look for the girl.

Julia was taken to a hospital where she is recovering. She appears to have suffered some frostbite but her health condition is not life-threatening, the hospital said.