December 11, 2002 (IRVINE, Calif.) — There's apparently a new breed of stupidity among criminals in California - robbers who can't tell a Chihuahua from a pit bull.
Mehrad Sepanjasa, 19, Ariyo MacKay, 18, and Kamyar Katouzian, 24, stole two Chihuahua puppies from the Irvine Animal Shelter on Dec. 1, police said. Three days later, they brought the tiny pooches to a Petsmart store in Irvine.
Store director Lisa Morgenthaler said the men didn't appear to be canine connoisseurs.
"They asked me, 'What is this?'" Morgenthaler said. "I told them it looked like a Chihuahua mix. They said, 'No way, it's a pit bull.' They didn't believe me. They wanted to ask the veterinarian."
The Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog in the world and fully grown animals weigh less than 9 pounds. Pit bull terriers are powerful, athletic animals that can weigh up to 60 pounds and are often used in illegal fights.
"They were pretty perturbed that the puppies they stole were not pit bulls," Morgenthaler told The Associated Press. "They thought they were stealing pit bulls. These guys are idiots."
Petsmart employees became suspicious and checked a flier from the Irvine Animal Shelter describing the stolen puppies and noting the animals had microchip identification tags implanted.
They told the men they would take the animals into a back room to clip their toenails. Instead, they scanned the little dogs' microchip ID tags, and called police.
The three men were charged with receiving stolen property. The puppies were returned to the shelter in good condition.
Shelter supervisor Ron Edwards said the dognappers might have become confused by the Chihuahua's striking coloring.
"I understand that they did think they were pit bull puppies," he said of the alleged thieves. "Brindle is a common color for pit bulls, and the puppies are brindle."
Mehrad Sepanjasa, 19, Ariyo MacKay, 18, and Kamyar Katouzian, 24, stole two Chihuahua puppies from the Irvine Animal Shelter on Dec. 1, police said. Three days later, they brought the tiny pooches to a Petsmart store in Irvine.
Store director Lisa Morgenthaler said the men didn't appear to be canine connoisseurs.
"They asked me, 'What is this?'" Morgenthaler said. "I told them it looked like a Chihuahua mix. They said, 'No way, it's a pit bull.' They didn't believe me. They wanted to ask the veterinarian."
The Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog in the world and fully grown animals weigh less than 9 pounds. Pit bull terriers are powerful, athletic animals that can weigh up to 60 pounds and are often used in illegal fights.
"They were pretty perturbed that the puppies they stole were not pit bulls," Morgenthaler told The Associated Press. "They thought they were stealing pit bulls. These guys are idiots."
Petsmart employees became suspicious and checked a flier from the Irvine Animal Shelter describing the stolen puppies and noting the animals had microchip identification tags implanted.
They told the men they would take the animals into a back room to clip their toenails. Instead, they scanned the little dogs' microchip ID tags, and called police.
The three men were charged with receiving stolen property. The puppies were returned to the shelter in good condition.
Shelter supervisor Ron Edwards said the dognappers might have become confused by the Chihuahua's striking coloring.
"I understand that they did think they were pit bull puppies," he said of the alleged thieves. "Brindle is a common color for pit bulls, and the puppies are brindle."
