2 Arrested For Stealing 10 Puppies From Victorville Breeder; 5 Still Missing

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA) – A man and a teen boy have been arrested in the theft of 10 puppies from a breeder in Victorville.

The Victorville Police Department reports that five of the puppies stolen from AKC Red Standard Poodle in the 14300 block of Squirrel Lane have been recovered, but five others remain missing.

The theft was reported at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators used surveillance video to identify the suspects as 20-year-old Christopher Earl Cox and a 16-year-old boy.

The teen was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a residence near the breeder's location, while Cox was taken into custody Thursday at home in the 13800 block of Chestnut Street. Both face charges of grand theft. The puppies generally sell for as much as $1,500 each.

"It's very emotional," owner Jonathan Santa Ana told CBS2. "Because you're there from the moment they're born."

Jonathan said his family breeds the puppies for sale, but still consider them pets, first.

"They're very attached to us," he said, "They follow us everywhere."

The puppies come from two litters. Mama poodle, Diva, is nervously looking for the rest of her brood.

"She hasn't been still ever since it happened," Jonathan said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the five remaining missing puppies should call Victorville police at (760) 241-2911. The puppies are due to get their shots Saturday morning.