"They were pretty brazen," he said. "They knew what they wanted."
The shameless dog-snatchers probably weren't looking for new house pets, police said. The pug and the maltipom - a crossbreed between a Mal-tese and a Pomeranian - were being sold at the store for about $1,000 each, and likely will find their way to the black market.
"Smaller dogs are being targeted," said Lisa Peterson, spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. "They are more popular these days. Size is an issue, and a smaller breed would be easier to steal."
Dognapping appears to be on the rise nationwide, according to Peterson, who tracks such cases.
There are no hard statistics on dog thefts, but the kennel club recorded only 10 media reports of such cases in 2007, compared with 66 last year - including nine in Pennsylvania.
Among the dogs stolen last year: a $3,000 French bulldog, a $2,100 Yorkshire terrier, and six dogs - three Yorkies, a Shih-tzu, a Shih-tzu-Yorkie and a cocker spaniel - with a combined value of $13,000.
Without registration papers, dog thieves would not likely be able to sell their stolen dogs at pet-store prices, Peterson said.
But the celebrity factor - not to mention "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" - has driven up the demand for dogs that happen to be easiest to filch.
"With the Paris Hiltons of the world displaying their animals in purses, those are walking advertisements for the toy breeds," said Martin Mersereau, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"You see a celebrity with a tiny Chihuahua on their arms, and it's very visible and part of popular culture. People want to emulate their favorite celebrities," Peterson said.
Clark said the Springfield crooks didn't even attempt to conceal what they were doing. They just scooped up the pug and the mutt and headed for the door - with a customer chasing them.
