Update: 06/25/25 7:00 PM —Within hours of releasing surveillance video of a Petland store puppy theft on Wednesday, McKinney police tracked down the suspect and recovered the 10-week-old pooch.
The McKinney Police Department announced the puppy’s recovery on its Facebook page, crediting the officers for their “paws-itively sharp detective work.”
“Suspect in custody. Puppy back where it belongs. Tail wagging. Case closed,” the department posted. The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Louis Anthony Pena, has been charged with theft.
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Police are searching for a suspect who stole a 10-week-old black and tan German Shepherd puppy from Petland McKinney at 3190 S. Central Expressway on Wednesday.
Surveillance video shows the suspect arriving on foot at approximately 10:15 a.m. on June 25, wearing a head covering resembling a ski mask with the lower half of his face concealed.
Inside the store, he waved to a staff member, pulled down his facial covering to speak, and requested to visit the German Shepherd puppy. He entered a playroom near the front door while the employee retrieved the puppy.
The suspect appeared to fill out a credit application but, within five minutes, picked up the puppy and rushed to the door. An employee near the front asked for the puppy, but the suspect refused and fled, running toward a nearby housing development. The employee briefly chased him but lost sight of the suspect. The puppy, microchipped like all Petland puppies, has been reported stolen.
A passerby later photographed the suspect holding the puppy while waiting to cross a street in the shopping area, capturing his full face. The suspect is described as a tall, thin black male wearing glasses, a green baseball cap, dark pants, and a dark t-shirt featuring the character Betty Boop, in addition to the head and face covering.
Petland McKinney urges anyone who recognizes the suspect or knows the puppy’s whereabouts to contact the McKinney Police Department at (972) 547-2700 and ask for Officer D. Safford.