Rottweiler puppy targeted in Mooroolbark theft home — now the hunt is on to find it
Have you seen this rottweiler puppy? He was taken from a house in Melbourne’s outer east by two men, who fled in a stolen car, before allegedly being spotted in the city.
Outer East
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The hunt is on for a nine-week-old puppy snatched from a Mooroolbark home by two men who fled in a stolen car.
A friend of the distressed owners has taken to Facebook to try and find the rottweiler pup, and has been told one of the thousands of people who viewed the post spotted the puppy at Southern Cross station.
Police are searching for the thieves and the dog, and are investigating the social media tip-off, after the puppy was stolen about 1.10pm yesterday.
Senior Constable Caleb Thompson said two men went to the house after responding to a Gumtree ad about rottweiler puppies for sale.
He said the men pretended to transfer a bank payment for two rottweiler puppies, but the owners wouldn’t let the men take the dogs until the payment landed in their account.
Sen-Constable Thompson said while the owners were distracted the men tried to run from the backyard — each carrying a puppy — but the male property owner managed to grab one puppy from them.
The men, who have been described as of African appearance, in their early 20s, tall and skinny, fled with the puppy in a light blue Ford Falcon with number plates reading AWE 039.
Sen-Constable Thompson said the car had been stolen in Bendigo.
Police are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including a claim the puppy was seen at Southern Cross station at 7am today.
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A friend of the owners made a Facebook post last night pleading for help to find the dog, which has since been shared more than 2000 times.
The friend was apparently contacted today by a train driver who said he saw a rottweiler puppy with two men of the same description at Southern Cross station.
He sent her a photo of the dog, which she said was the stolen puppy.
The puppy was microchipped, and has been flagged as stolen.
Sen Constable Thompson said police were taking the incident seriously.
“They’ve obviously targeted this dog,” he said.