Pups stolen from stores in Naperville, Bolingbrook

Two Petland stores, one in Naperville and another in Bolingbrook, are trying to track down the woman caught on surveillance video stealing a puppy from each of the stores Friday, a store owner said.

Police are reviewing the footage.

“We’re still looking for them,” said Adam Stachowiak, owner of the Naperville store at 720 Route 59, said Friday night.

The woman stole a male, 14-week-old white Maltese puppy named Hercules from the Bolingbrook store at 744 E. Boughton Road. About 30 minutes later, a person who appeared to be the same woman stole a male, 10-week-old white Havanese puppy named Casper from the Petland in Naperville.

Petland employees reported that in both cases, a woman wearing a gray hat, blue jacket and large scarf asked to see one of the white puppies and then distracted the pet counselor so she could place the puppy in a bag before leaving the store.

“They seem to be related,” Stachowiak said. “It seems to be same lady. And at this point we don’t have any leads.”

Both puppies had been implanted with microchips registered to the store. Lost pet alerts have been issued for Hercules and Casper with helpmefindMYPET.com.

Anyone with information about the stolen puppies should contact police or call helpmefindMYPET at (866) 699-3463.

In a release, the store said the puppy’s safety is its primary concern. Young puppies require special care at this young age.

“We’ve seen thefts in the past,” said Stachowiak, who has owned the store for eight years. “If we had a puppy stolen, it always came back right away. A friend or a relative or a parent would turn it in. And we’re hoping the same thing happens this time.”

The total value of the two puppies is about $3,500.