Pet Store Owner: Tipsters Help Locate English Bulldog Stolen In Connecticut

WESTPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- The expensive English bulldog puppy that was stolen from a Connecticut pet store was found Thursday at a home in West Haven, according to the owner of that store.

Monty Kaufman, of Puppies of Westport, said a man and a young boy came into the store Monday to look at the 12-week-old, $4,000 puppy. After playing with the pup, the man tried to pay for it using a bad credit card, Kaufman said.

As the woman who manages the store placed a call to American Express, the man, who was seen in surveillance video holding the puppy, ushered the boy out the door.

A few moments later, he walked out with the puppy in his arms.

Kaufman issued a release saying that the media exposure surrounding the story resulted in many tips from people. He said a woman called Thursday to say a neighbor had the dog.

Police went to an apartment complex in West Haven along with police and the man who answered the door at the apartment initially said there was no such dog at the residence.

However, the tipster said to look in the back porch, where they eventually located the pooch.

Police grabbed the pooch and Kaufman pulled out his microchip wand to make sure the dog was his and it was -- the mystery and anguish finally over.

"Actually seeing this dog after looking at its picture for days on end it was just unbelievable," Kaufman told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.

Kaufman said given all the attention, he isn't buying the idea the family didn't know they bought a stolen dog.

"That's probably one of the reasons why they didn't want to acknowledge the dog was in the house and one of the reasons why they didn't want to talk to police and hung up on them," he said.

Kaufman said at 3 months old, the puppy's immune system was not yet developed and the young dog requires special care. He said the dog is so expensive because he was bred by artificial insemination, delivered by Caesarian and hand fed for the first six weeks of life.

The pup has undergone a complete veterinary exam and found to be "somewhat dehydrated, with a minor cough," according to Kaufman, who said the dog will be given "royal treatment" over the next few days.

Besides hoping the man who stole the dog is prosecuted, Kaufman is also hoping the family who held the dog is prosecuted as well, because he said they made things more difficult than they had to be.

The pet store owner is also inviting suggestions of what to name the lucky pup.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below ...