Yes, that is a puppy in his pants.
Long Island cops are asking the public to take a bite out of crime by identifying a crook who stole a purebred puppy — by stuffing it into his jeans.
Two men entered the Zoorama Pet Store in Elmont on June 23, and one pretended to be interested in dogs, Nassau Police said.
While the clerk was distracted, one of the men tried to open the cash register. When that didn’t work, he grabbed a $1,000 10-week-old Pomeranian puppy and shoved it into his pants.
Owner Harsha Perera, 54, said the store video (far right) “shows very clearly he’s taking the dog and putting it in his pants.”
“The puppy is trying to get out, and he’s pushing it back in,” said Perera, whose son was the clerk. “Then he covered it with his shirt.”
Perera said his son was distracted when one of the men asked to look at a dog.
“They went behind the counter three times and tried to open the register, but they couldn’t get it open,” he said.
“They couldn’t get money, so they settled for a puppy.”
He said the pup is fragile and needs special care.
He is offering a $500 reward for the return of the 1 1/2-pound, light-cream-colored female dog.
One suspect was Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old and about 5-foot-6, and wore a Nike “Swoosh” T-shirt, bluejeans and sneakers, police said. The other wore a white T-shirt and gray sweat pants.
Cops ask anyone with information on the dog-napping to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.