Puppy stolen

A six-week-old male Maltese-cross-Chihuahua puppy has been stolen from an Ettalong pet shop.

Ettalong Pet and Garden Supplies owner Mr Paul Murphy said he was "extremely disappointed and annoyed" after the puppy was stolen from his shop on Wednesday, August 29.

Mr Murphy said he noticed the male dog missing at about 3.30pm.

"Our store is known for being friendly and allowing people to mix and play with the animals," Mr Murphy said.

"We have an outdoor courtyard where customers can take the animals out of their cages and get to know them before making a decision to purchase.

"Now we are going to have to be a lot stricter with customers handling animals."

Mr Murphy said he believed the puppy was stolen while interacting with customers outside of its cage.

"It is really frustrating because we can't even determine whether the puppy went to a good home or not," Mr Murphy said.

"The loss of money to the store is one thing, but we just hope the puppy is being looked after."

According to Mr Murphy, contacting police would be a "waste of time".

"There is not enough information for police to further investigate."

"We are hoping a member of the public might come forward with information."

Anyone with information in regards to the missing cream-coloured puppy should contact Paul Murphy on 4341 2310.

Clare Graham, 30 Aug 2007