Another puppy has been stolen in the District, according to the police, this one taken on Sunday from a car parked near the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest.
The theft comes at a time when at least 10 other dogs have been taken in the District in less than three weeks. Most of them have been recovered.
The dog stolen Sunday was a French bulldog, a member of a compact breed that may bring prices in the four figures and has attracted thieves both in the Washington area and around the country.
It was named Dak, according to a statement from police.
The dog was in a car parked by its owner at around 745 p.m. in the 1000 block of U Street NW, police said Monday. The owner apparently left Dak inside the vehicle and returned to it a short time later.
On returning, the owner found that the rear passenger window was broken and the tawny 10-week old puppy was missing, according to the police. They asked the public to keep an eye out for Dak.
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Stealing dogs almost seems like a special category of theft in Washington, and the category has been particularly active recently.
Before Dak was taken the most recent dog theft occurred Saturday, when eight puppies were stolen around 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of U Street SE, in the Anacostia area, according to Officer Makhetha Watson, a police spokeswoman.
After loading the dogs into a vehicle, a woman stepped away from it, Watson said. “Someone jumped in” and drove off with the vehicle and the eight American bulldog puppies, Watson said.
On Sunday, seven of the eight puppies were turned in to a police station in the District by “a community member,” police said. The seven have been returned safely to their owner, according to police.
The vehicle was also found, Watson said.
But one of the eight puppies taken Saturday remains missing. “We are still seeking the public’s help with locating the last puppy,” police said in a statement.
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In other developments, police announced last week that two dogs taken in earlier incidents had been recovered.
One was named Lola. The 7-month-old pit bull was taken in a burglary on Atlantic Street SE on New Year’s Eve, according to police accounts.
Two people knocked on the owner’s door around 7:25 p.m., forced their way inside, assaulted the owner and made off with Lola, police said.
On Tuesday, “a concerned citizen” brought Lola to a police station, a police statement said. The owner was reunited with Lola but no arrest has been reported, and police said they are still investigating.
Recovered earlier was a French bulldog named Mocha, who was taken in a robbery, according to a police account.
On Dec. 22, Mocha’s owner brought the dog to the 3300 block of 14th Place SE, after arranging to sell the animal for $3,500, according to a police statement and a document filed in D.C. Superior Court.
But when she arrived, police said, two robbers approached and one took Mocha. When the owner tried to get the dog back, one of the robbers showed a gun and threatened to shoot, police said.
In a statement issued Saturday, police said Mocha was recovered on Dec. 29.
On Friday, an arrest was made on a charge of armed robbery, police said, and the case is being investigated.
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