CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A bold theft at a Centennial pet store has left employees frustrated and concerned for the welfare of two stolen puppies.
Perfect Pets, a family-owned store on South University Boulevard in Centennial, has been operating since 1993. The owner, Jens Larsen, has been dealing with theft issues at the shop and has tried various methods to prevent it.
“We moved here in 2014 and honestly, crime subsided considerably. But lately, we’ve had a very bad run of crime,” said Larsen.
Recently, surveillance footage captured two women entering the store with a baby and a stroller. While the staff was occupied, one of the women managed to sneak a puppy into the stroller and calmly walked out. Shortly after, the second woman took advantage of the distraction caused by the first theft to grab another puppy and flee the store.
- Watch the surveillance video below
Surveillance video: Perfect Pets in Centennial reports stolen puppies
The store manager, Bianca Rose Larsen, recalled receiving a frantic call from Jens Larsen about the stolen puppies. She mentioned how he was in a state of panic when informing her about the incident that took place on a Wednesday night while she was off duty.
The puppies were a miniature Bernedoodle and a Cava-Shih Tzu mix. They have a combined value of about $4,400, making this a felony theft case.
Bianca Rose Larsen
Denver7 has reported on several puppy thefts at the store. Two puppies were stolen from the store in December 2022, marking the third incident for Perfect Pets that year. Two puppy thieves were again caught on camera in August 2018. In January 2017, a puppy stolen from Perfect Pets was found in the possession of a suspected shoplifter.
Larsen said he’s frustrated by the repeated crimes targeting their business.
“Crime has just escalated to an astronomical amount,” Larsen said. “It affects our bottom line tremendously.”
Despite security measures, including surveillance cameras, ID requirements to handle puppies, and locked enclosures, theft remains an issue. The store has filed a stolen property report with authorities, and the puppies’ microchips have been flagged in case they are recovered.
The incident comes amid a wave of pet store thefts and increasing city-wide bans on retail pet sales. Several cities like Commerce City, Fort Collins and Littleton have passed ordinances banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats unless they come from shelters or rescues. Larsen questions if the limited number of pet stores could be making his business a target.
“The closest one to us would probably be Pet Ranch in Thornton,” he said. “They’re way up north, probably about 20 miles, and they’ve had a lot of theft, too.”
Bianca Rose Larsen
Perfect Pets is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the puppies and the conviction of the suspects.
“If I did have a message for the thieves that took them, I would just say, ‘Please do the right thing. Set a good example for your kid. Get us our puppies back,’” Rose Larsen pleaded.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office at 303-795-4711.
