4 dogs stolen from Oak Lawn man's garage

An Oak Lawn man is begging for the safe return of his rare and expensive pets, who were stolen from his home more than a month ago.

Chen Du trusted police would find his four stolen dogs – worth more than $30,000 – but they haven't yet, and he's speaking out hoping it helps him get them back.

"The feel is awful. It's like, I cannot get good sleep every night for a month now," he said.

He's offering a $5,000 reward for their return as police investigate. He said four of his dogs – Panghu,  Mewmew, Black, and Panda – were stolen from his garage at the end of January.

"I still not getting any information about my dogs," he said.

He still has several other dogs at home after the theft.

"I got a house. I got a big yard, backyard. So, at that point, I think I can have that much dog," he said.

Du said he would like to run a kennel someday, but said he is not breeding dogs.

"I am dog person," he said.

Du said his dogs live inside his house, and some sleep in the garage at night.

"I just love to take care of all this stuff with the dogs," he said. "It's home pets. I'm not breeding any puppies."

So why would someone steal four of his dogs? Du said he has floodles – Frenchie bulldog-poodle mixes – and long-haired French bulldogs, explaining both are rare and very expensive, sometimes selling for more than $10,000 each.

He claimed the four dogs who were stolen are worth more than $30,000, and said he flew across the country to buy each one.

"I buy from like $35,000 for 4 dogs," he said.

Du said he calls police every day to check on the status of his case.

"I just want my dogs back," he said.

Oak Lawn police said the investigation is active and ongoing, but they don't have any additional information to share right now.

In 2023, The American Kennel Club reported French bulldogs as the number one breed reported stolen.

Multiple organizations and insurance companies have warned about thefts of French bulldogs and French bulldog mixes, because of their high price point.

Last July, a French bulldog was stolen at gunpoint in the Roseland neighborhood. Two men in ski masks hit the dog's owner and threw him to the ground, then took off with the dog.