CHICAGO — A Chicago woman says her French bulldog was beaten and stolen at gunpoint as she walked him through her Northwest Side neighborhood.
Alicja Pierzchala, 64, told reporters the attack happened Wednesday night in Portage Park.
“I just walked with my Peppa,” he said. nbc chicago. «She was sniffing and suddenly behind me I felt pressure.»
“He yelled at me, give me your dog, and then I tried to fight. He put a gun here, here and finally here,” Pierzchala added, pointing to his head.
She said she was later treated at a hospital for cuts to her wrists, forehead and a concussion.
He adopted Peppa almost two months ago.
No arrests have been made, police said.
Pierzchala told NBC Chicago that police found surveillance video from a neighbor’s camera and officers also recovered the suspect’s cellphone.
French bulldogs have been the targets of other thefts, including the fatal shooting of a 76-year-old South Carolina breeder in February and the 2021 shooting of pop star Lady Gaga by a California dog walker.
The man was walking three of the singer’s French bulldogs at the time. Two were captured and one escaped.
Authorities have said it was a coincidence that the dogs belonged to Lady Gaga and that the motive for the theft was the value of French bulldogs, a breed that can run into thousands of dollars.
The man who shot the dog walker and stole the dogs was later arrested and sentenced to 21 years in prison.
In March, French bulldogs surpassed Labrador retrievers as the most popular dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club.
There is concern that the demand, in addition to the premium some buyers will pay for «exotic» coat colors and textures, is making breeders quick money and unhealthy dogs.