A pet shop located on Glasgow’s Southside was left ‘turned upside down’ after a thief broke in and stole all the stock on March 12.
The owner of Charlie’s Perfect Paws Pet Grooming Spa and Boutique, Lisa Stark, received a call from police about the Nithsdale Road area after officers arrived on the scene.
The 53-year-old arrived at the store to find a glass panel had come off the door frame and the stock inside the store was missing.
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He said Glasgow Live: “The police called to inform us that the glass panel on the front door was missing.
“They came out to check and the shop was overturned. It looked like someone knew what they were doing.
“They were able to pop the side bits out of the frame and lift the glass panel completely. They went in and got the bin bag out of the bin to put all the stock in.
“The CCTV from the pub next door just shows people’s feet going in and out. It looks like they were interrupted because someone walked past them with a phone and they just went.
“All the computer systems were pulled out but they weren’t able to pick it up.”
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The incident left the passionate store owner of a year and a half quite shaken.
Lisa said: “It’s annoying and scary.
“We couldn’t fix anything until the forensic police came out so we’re sitting there looking at it which worries me.
“I just want to return it to what it looked like before. I took redundancy after covid to open this shop to do something I loved with the hopes of involving the whole family involved eventually.
“To see how much was taken was quite horrific. The glass door was gone, it would cost thousands to replace.
“All the stock has been used up, they didn’t take the shaving equipment, so we are back to work.
“If someone targeted us knowing we were a dog groomer they took the scissors, which cost hundreds of pounds, but they took the dog’s clothes.
“There’s not much opportunity to sell things.”
The theft has had a huge impact on the dog groomer’s business, with the now 53-year-old forced to go out a new door and upgrade the security system to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
He explained: “We had to turn away customers and reschedule those who had booked.
“We usually get a lot of passing trade with the park close by but now they see this big broken window and it’s putting people off.
“So I think I’m going to lose some passing trades for next week. We had a security alarm and system but because of the way they came in they didn’t trigger it.
“Now we have to invest more.”
Police forensice teams are at the scene to conduct an investigation.
Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
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