A French bulldog puppy was reported stolen from a tow truck on North Main Street in Brockton early Thursday. Her family is offering a $1,000 reward for her safe return. The owner told the Enterprise News that a person on a bicycle took the sleeping puppy and rode away.
According to enterprisenews.com, the owner said her 18-week-old purebred French bulldog was taken between 12:40 and 1:05 a.m. Thursday near 77 North Main Street, while her partner was dropping off a car and she had briefly stepped away. The Enterprise News identified the puppy as Eevee; NBC Boston reported her name as Eve. Hoodline could not independently confirm the spelling. Brockton Animal Control has posted images of the puppy on Facebook and asked the public for help locating her.
NBC Boston reported that the tow truck was parked at a Main Street repair shop and that police said someone opened the door and took the puppy while she was asleep. The station identified the owner as Molly Lauretti and reported that she initially thought the person approaching the truck was the puppy’s owner.
Family Seeks Puppy’s Safe Return
Lauretti and Gage Tobia co-own the dog. Tobia told NBC Boston that the puppy often goes to work with him.
NBC Boston reported that a police report was filed and officers searched for a possible suspect but did not find the person or the dog. Investigators reviewed surveillance video that reportedly shows someone leaving with the puppy tucked inside a jacket. Lauretti and Tobia are offering a $1,000 reward for her safe return, no questions asked.
How to Help
Anyone with information is asked to contact Brockton Animal Control at 508-580-7835 or the Brockton Police Department at 508-941-0200, according to enterprisenews.com. National figures vary by source and measure: ABC News reported that dog thefts were up 40 percent from the previous year, with French bulldogs the top target ahead of Labrador retrievers and Yorkshire terriers. The outlet also reported that the breed can fetch as much as $5,000, that one rare puppy reportedly sold for $100,000, and that AKC Reunite logged more than 3,800 missing-pet reports nationwide in a recent month.
Official information, the law and theft data
The City of Brockton’s Animal Control page lists 508-580-7835 as the department’s phone number for tips. NBC Boston reported that a police report was filed and officers searched for a possible suspect, but the city page does not confirm the case details or the puppy’s current recovery status.
Massachusetts’ general larceny statute includes domesticated animals, including dogs, in its definition of property, according to the Massachusetts General Court; the article does not report that any charge has been filed. Separately, AKC Reunite says its lost-pet reporting data show dog thefts in the United States were up 34% from 2020 to 2025. That figure reflects the organization’s reports, not necessarily all thefts nationwide.
Massachusetts has seen French bulldog thefts before. In 2023, a $1,000 reward was offered after two French bulldogs named Malik and Potato were stolen and mistreated in Lawrence, according to MassLive. Those dogs were found in Salem, New Hampshire, after being missing since February, and were reunited with their owners five days later, though the outlet reported they were in poor condition and their family needed help covering veterinary bills. For now, Brockton investigators and the puppy's family are hoping someone recognizes the bicycle rider from the surveillance footage before the trail goes cold.
