MIAMI, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A French bulldog, the prize stud of a Miami breeder, and 15 puppies he sired have been stolen, police said.
El Che, the bulldog, and the two litters of puppies that disappeared New Year's Eve are valued at about $80,000, the Miami Herald reported. But breeder Marcelo Cicuta, who uses the name Marcelo Tuunrat in his business, said the puppies are likely to die because the mothers were not taken.
"I need help. They need their mothers," Cicuta told the newspaper Thursday. "They need milk from their mother, or any mother for survival."
Police said the dogs were taken while Cicuta and his mother were attending a New Year's Eve party at a friend's kennel. Someone broke a window in his mother's bedroom and left with the dogs in pillowcases, leaving other valuables, including jewelry.
El Che, named after Che Guevara, is a prominent sire in a city where French bulldogs are popular, expensive and frequently stolen. He was given the Westminster Kennel Club Award of Merit in 2010 and honored by the French Bulldog Club of America National Specialty show in 2009.
Cicuta said he knew something was wrong when he and his mother returned home at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday because a floodlight in the yard was out. Then, he said, Che did not come when he called.
