Family who unwittingly purchased stolen puppy returns it to Petland

Eight other puppies and a second suspect remain missing.

PLANO — One of the puppies stolen earlier this month from two Petland stores has been safely recovered.

The dog, a soft-coated Wheaten terrier, was returned to the Plano Petland store by its new owners. The terrier and eight other puppies were stolen from Petland stores in Plano and Frisco on October 8. The remaining eight animals are still missing, and police say they have no leads on their whereabouts.

Officer David Tilley of the Plano Police Department said the dog was purchased by a family for their 4-year-old daughter. However, after seeing a news report detailing the arrest of Darrell Wayne Ramirez, 27, in connection with the crime, the family began to believe they may have purchased a stolen dog.

"They said the man in the story looked like the man they had bought their dog from," Tilley said. "They took the dog to Petland where the its microchip was scanned, confirming it was one of the stolen puppies."

Tilley said no charges will be filed against the family. The dog is currently in Petland's possession, but Tilley said he believes it will be returned to the family free of charge. The dog had a retail value of $1,500, he said.

Police are still searching for a second suspect as well as the eight remaining dogs.

The puppies are about 12 weeks old. The missing dogs include a dachshund, a beagle, a shih tzu, three English bulldogs, a shih-poo (shih tzu and poodle cross), and a Boglen terrier (beagle and Boston terrier cross).

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Plano PD at 972-941-2148.