For Marlon Zanders, the birth of eight pit bull puppies — the offspring of his two adult dogs — last month was a “happy accident.”
But when Zanders, 29, returned to his home in Southeast Washington on Sunday after a trip abroad, he was met with an unwelcome surprise: The litter was missing.
D.C. police said someone “forcibly entered” the residence, took the puppies and fled. Officers are investigating the case, the department said Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is searching for eight puppies that were taken in a burglary that occurred in Southeast. Read more: https://t.co/iqgOsux4nT Have info? Call (202) 727-9099 / text 5041 CCN: 26089274 pic.twitter.com/YKrUAhxcqM
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) June 30, 2026
Zanders fears for the safety of the 5-week-old puppies, who were not yet eligible for vaccinations to protect against viruses like hepatitis and rabies. Puppies are discouraged from walking outside or interacting with unknown dogs until they’ve received all of their core vaccinations, typically when they are 18 to 22 weeks old.
D.C. law prohibits separating a puppy under 6 weeks old from its mother. Before the theft, the puppies lived with their mother, 3-year-old Peaches.
According to Zanders, he spotted the puppies through one of his house’s windows Sunday afternoon when he first returned from a five-day trip to Colombia. But he said he was unable to initially enter the home because he had given the keys to an acquaintance he had hired as a dog sitter.
When he returned later in the evening, after retrieving the keys, he said, he noticed his AC unit was not in its typical perch on a side window, and the window was open.
After entering the house, Zanders realized that the puppies were gone. Peaches was still there.
The puppies’ theft has taken a toll on Peaches, Zanders said. “She sniffs around and looks around and goes into different rooms to see if they’re in there, but they’re not,” he said.
Zanders said he thinks he knows who stole the puppies and is cooperating with police on the investigation.
Two local animal experts voiced concerns that the puppies could have been stolen for an illegal dogfighting ring, for which pit bulls are often used in the United States, or for unlicensed breeding.
Five-week-old puppies “should not be separated from their mom if they have one,” Mirah Horowitz, founder and CEO of local nonprofit Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, wrote in an email. “They need antibodies they get through nursing.”
Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.
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