Dog stolen at gunpoint during arranged sale gone wrong in Southeast DC

WASHINGTON - Police are continuing the search for a dog taken in an armed robbery in Southeast, D.C.

The dog’s owner is outraged and is pleading for help finding the puppy.

Still shaken following the robbery, the victim is concerned for her safety and asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

She says she was trying to sell her 9-week-old American bulldog puppy to a buyer around 9:30 p.m. Monday. The owner and a friend who accompanied her drove with the dog to the 2800 block of Texas Ave., SE, to meet the buyer. 

While negotiating a price, she says the buyer then pulled out a gun, stole the puppy and ran away.

"I didn’t want to get hurt," the woman told FOX 5. 

The woman flagged down police and now, officers are investigating. The puppy, a black and white female, was not wearing a collar. 

"I feel violated," she said. "I’m really concerned if my dog is ok. She is the littlest one, she is the runt of the litter."

Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest and a conviction in this case.

D.C. police remind people to use designated ‘Safe Exchange Zones’ — well-lit areas near police stations — when meeting people to exchange goods or money in transactions.