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Brazen Mississauga dog theft caught on tape

A Mississauga woman is asking for the public's help after her poodle Totem was taken from her yard in a crime captured on tape.

Jennifer Mann's poodle was tethered in the backyard when he was taken Friday evening while the family was inside.

"The reaction was pretty much just shock," she told CBC News. "Like I was thinking 'How could somebody just do that to somebody's pet?'"

Totem is a nine-year-old purebred poodle.

"It's very hard," she said. "I love my pup. He's a sweetheart. I miss grooming him."

Remarkably, the entire dognapping was caught on tape by a neighbour's security camera.

The woman seen in the tape leading Totem away is wearing what appears to be hospital scrubs.

Investigators hope that small fact can help locate the missing dog.

Peel Regional Police Const. Lillian Fitzpatrick said many dog thefts are motivated by profit. Totem is an intact male with certification.

"If they recognize that it is a purebred, sometimes they take it either to use for breeding purposes or to try and sell."

Mann says she hopes all the publicity will help get Totem home.

"I just really want to raise awareness for him," she said. "He's missed greatly and I just want him to come back."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Peel Regional Police.

The dog has an embedded microchip and can be dropped off at any vet or animal shelter.