JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Employees at BFF Puppies in the Orange Park Mall are hoping for the safe return of two puppies that they said ended up in the wrong hands.
They’re offering a $1,000 reward for the return of two American Bullys, which they said were purchased on Jan. 5 with a fraudulent credit card number. The store said it didn’t realize what happened until it received a notice from the credit card company.
According to a complaint affidavit, a man who came into the store to buy the dogs did not have a physical credit card, but one on his phone. It states the employee who conducted the transaction checked the man’s ID to make sure it matched the name on the credit card image.
“We didn’t think anything about the encounter until yesterday when we received reports from a credit card company saying they were fraud," said Alex Nichols, the store manager.
The name of the man who used the credit card information to purchase the puppies was redacted from the complaint affidavit, and he’s not currently listed as an official suspect, nor is a woman he was seen with on surveillance camera.
The manager told News4Jax the couple was not interested in any other dogs but the American Bully puppies – a breed that was recently recognized by the United Kennel Club. They’re bred by mixing pit bulls with American Staffordshire Terriers.
“American Bully’s aren’t always the easiest to find their a rare breed of some sort that people are very popular about," Nichols said.
BFF Puppies employees want the animals returned. They fear the animals may not be receiving the care they require.
“Obviously at this young age, they have a lot of developmental and vet care needed, vaccines and things like that. So, the most important thing is getting these guys recovered and into good hands," Nichols said.