(WWJ) Novi Police are investigating an armed robbery outside Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi where a suspect stole two English bulldog puppies from a Lansing couple at gunpoint, according to multiple reports.
WXYZ and WDIV report the couple agreed to meet a perspective owner for the puppies at the shopping center, who said he wanted to surprise both his teenage children with a new furry friend.
But the alleged criminal had a different plan in mind.
Reports say two teenagers or young adults, a boy and a girl, met the couple in the parking lot Friday evening; after the man called the victims saying he was inside the mall and wanted his children to get acquainted with the dogs.
While the teenagers pet the puppies, an unknown suspect walked up behind the husband and put a gun to his head; according to his wife.
The teens ran off with the puppies and hopped into a get-away vehicle, along with the suspect.
In an emotional Facebook post, the wife described the incident: “I can’t imagine how terrified these babies (the puppies) are and now they are with some terrible people. I am thankful my husband and two small children were not hurt, but he could have been killed.”
The couple breeds English bulldogs professionally in Lansing through Hooligan Bullies LLC.
She said in the post the suspect contacted her on Hoobly, a Craigslist-like website with classified ads. She described the vehicle as a “black Chrysler 300c with a temp license plate in the rear back window.”
One of the puppies is named Bunny. Bunny's "best friend," Gizmo, was also taken.
She wrote on Facebook of Gizmo: "I raised him from birth. I revived this puppy to give him his first breath of live Birth. I bottle fed him. I spent restless nights keeping these babies alive."
Then she put out a desperate plea to the criminals: "Take care of them, treat them right, love them. They need more than you know what to do for them, and most of all give them back!"