GLADSTONE, Mo. — A Gladstone woman says doorbell video shows a man stealing one of her puppies.
Video from election night shows a man at Amanda Ratcliffe’s home interested in buying a puppy.
Ratcliffe is a licensed dealer who runs Puppy Love Boutique out of her home. The man said he was interested in a puppy named Arthur.
“He is a cross between a schnauzer, a pug and a poodle,” Ratcliffe said. “And I came up with the wonderful name, ‘Schnugapoos.’”
With Arthur in his arms, the man can be seen on video telling Ratcliffe he needs to get the $800 cash from his car.
“If I don’t grab the money, I never will,” the man said.
Then the man drives away.
“It was a horrible feeling because I thought somebody who’s not willing to pay for the puppy maybe has bad intentions,” Ratcliffe said.
With the man now knowing where Ratcliffe lives, and aware she has five children in the home, she called the police.
Ratcliffe later learned that KC Pet Project recovered Arthur after he was picked up by animal control. They were called after an arrest, but nothing else has been released. It’s unclear if the man in the video is behind bars or for what charges.
Organizations like the Missouri Pet Breeders Association recommend not having strangers come to your home for transactions, reminding people they can always meet at a place like a police station.
“We would advise they not, not to come to their home, meet at a public place,” VP Rodney Blosser said.
Ratcliffe won’t be letting strangers over any time soon. She’s still uneasy with so many unanswered questions.
“What kind of a person would come into a house with their children and walk out with a puppy and steal it like that?” Ratcliffe said. “I just don’t understand.”