A small and fluffy Pomeranian mix dog who was taken away on Christmas Eve is back with its owner, police said on Wednesday.
Nassau Police had said the spitz was stolen after it was tied on a leash outside a Lakeview store on December 24.
After parking on Woodfield Road, the thief put the dog in the passenger seat of a black BMW SUV and drove north, police said in a press release.
The Pomeranian’s owner called police after finding his dog missing around 12:59 p.m
Long Island has seen a spate of dog thefts.
Two French bulldogs were caught at the end of November – both returned to their owners thanks to the Good Samaritans. Small dogs are more likely to be stolen, experts say, especially valuable ones.
According to breeder and expert websites, purebred Pomeranian puppies can fetch anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand dollars.
According to a pre-pandemic estimate by petfinder.com, up to 2 million dogs are stolen each year and only 10% are recovered.
It’s too early in the dog theft investigation, police say, to determine if they are linked.
Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun, a spokesman for the Nassau County Police Department, said earlier this month that two dogs were reported stolen in 2021, one in 2020 and seven in 2019.
With Matthew Chayes
Joan Gralla is a general assignment reporter who also covers parks, flood control and Holocaust restitution. She is a former Reuters correspondent who covered politics, economics and markets.
