Update with Video: Gwinnett PD locate and return stolen dog along with new litter of puppies

Dog was allegedly stolen by two juveniles on Sept. 9

UPDATE: GWINNETT COUNTY – Nov. 26, 2025: According to an updated press release, after this case was originally released to the public, uniformed officers located the vehicle involved and identified a suspect as Kristian Dunning.  On Nov. 21, investigators went to Dunning’s residence to speak to her and located what they believed was the missing dog. Officers from Gwinnett County Animal control were called and a scan of the chip identified that the dog was indeed the missing dog.

There was, however, more to the story. Detectives learned that after she was stolen, the dog was bred with another dog and had since given birth to a litter of puppies.

Detectives also learned that the two females that picked up the dog on the day of the incident were Dunning’s juvenile children. The stolen dog was returned to the owner, along with all the puppies. Warrants have been issued for Dunning for theft by taking and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The video below, courtesy of Gwinnett County Police Department, is of the owner receiving her dog back, along with its four young puppies.

Click here for a video of the dog and puppies being returned to the victim.

(Duluth, Ga., October 7, 2024) – The Gwinnett County Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects who stole a dog from an apartment complex after posing as the dog’s owners.

On September 9, officers responded to the Sugarloaf Summit Apartments at 1887 Duluth Highway in reference to the theft.  When they arrived, they met with the dog’s owner, who told officers that their 5-year-old Shih Poo was stolen. 

According to the owner, the dog was able to get loose earlier that day from the ground floor patio door of their apartment. The dog wandered the apartment complex until it was eventually found by a witness at the pool. 

The witness also met with police and said that she found the dog and put out a notification on the Ring app for the lost dog. The witness said that a short time later, two women walked up to the pool and identified the dog as “Coco.” The two females took the dog from the witness and left in a blue SUV.

Employees at the apartment complex located footage of the SUV.  From the video, the vehicle appears to be a Cadillac with no tag.  The suspects in this case were described as younger looking black females.  One of the suspects had braces.  The dog was described as white, black, and gray, and weighs approximately five pounds.  The dog’s real name is Lucy.

If anyone has any information to share in this case, please contact GCPD detectives at 770.513.5300.  To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404.577.TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com.  Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.