VIDEO: Cocker Spaniel Puppy Snatched From Bushwick Laundromat

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — When doing our wash-and-fold at a public facility in New York City, we're told always to keep an eye on our belongings. One North Brooklyn man learned this age-old lesson the tragic way last Monday, Aug. 22, when his adorable cocker spaniel puppy was stolen from a cubby inside a laundromat on Knickerbocker Avenue.

Police said Tuesday that around 3 p.m. Monday, an unknown individual entered Laundry Station, located at 334 Knickerbocker Avenue, and snatched the 36-year-old man’s cocker spaniel.

The suspect then ran southbound with the brown-and-white pup on Knickerbocker Avenue, police said.

Surveillance video shot inside the hole-in-the-wall laundry place — distributed by police, and embedded below — shows the dog being coaxed from its kennel and carried away by a man in a blue shirt.

The dog, named Pippen, is just six weeks old and is worth around $1,400, according to the New York Daily News.

"I just want him back,” Braulio Espinal, the dog's owner told the Daily News. “I'm worried about him. Is he eating? Is he being cared for properly? He's used to a loving home. He must be scared."

Espinal said his two young daughters have been a wreck since Pippen disappeared, and that the family's Yorkie "misses him" already.

Detectives described the dog thief as "a male white or white-Hispanic" in his 30s., with a light complexion, black hair, brown eyes and an arm tattoo. The man is believed to stand around 6 feet tall and weigh around 170 pounds.

He was last seen wearing gray sneakers, blue jeans and a blue shirt, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the suspect or the crime is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. For Spanish, call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Tips can also be submitted online or by texting 274637(CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Lead photos courtesy of the NYPD