TINY TWP. - Raymond Marchildon is worried about the four puppies stolen from the backyard of his Perkensfield home.

The 71-year-old woke up on April 4 and went out to the dog house he just built for his boxers, Missy and Levi, and found someone had taken four or their nine-week-old female puppies.

"Oh my God. I really can't explain it, but right away I knew," Marchildon said. "I didn't lock the door, but how was I to know that someone was going to come and steal my dogs."

The litter of eight had just been dewormed, but still require their medical injections.

Marchildon is worried the culprits may neglect the puppies' health.

"I don't know if they (culprits) know, but those dogs are in danger if they aren't taken care of properly," he said.

"I just want them back safe."

The culprits took four out of five fawn coloured pups and left behind three white-haired pups, which suggests the thief knew white pups are prone to health problems, Marchildon said.

Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) spokesperson, Alison Cross, said puppies are often stolen by would-be pet owners, but money is usually the prime motive.

"It really depends on the situation and it could be a variety of things," she said. "If it's a pure bred animal, it could be purely because it's an expensive animal, and they want to make some money on it. For example, (British) Bulldogs can go for $2,500."

Boxer puppies are listed between $800 and $1,000 on the classified website, Kijiji, but Cross said after an animal is stolen, tracking them down falls under police jurisdiction.

"It could be to breed them, to sell them, it could be simply because they wanted the dogs. There's so many different reasons someone would steal an animal," she said. "Where they are going and what the intents are we really don't know, and that's where police come in."

Because puppies require constant care and attention, Cross worries the pets may not be getting care for any special needs.

"Animals should be provided with the best care possible," she said. "Even as puppies you may not know what food or requirements are needed for those animals."

Pet thieves often use classified ads to sell stolen animals, but potential dog owners should be cautious of where the pet came from, Cross said.

"Our concern is for the animals. Nobody ever wants this to happen to their pet," she said. "If you see an ad on Kijiji, you want to see a picture of the mother of father. They should let you meet one of the animals or see where they live."

Southern Georgian Bay provincial police continue to investigate the theft, but Const. Dave Hobson urges the public to come forward if they have any information.

"Did someone steal them to sell them, did they steal them to possess them? It's hard to say at this point," he said. "All you can do is possibly locate the animals and hopefully through the investigation see where they came from."

Every time the phone rings, Marchildon hopes it's the police about to tell him he will be reunited with his puppies.

"I was in bed and thought I should lock the door, but I fell asleep and woke up the next morning and they were gone," he said. "He (culprit) really disturbed a lot of lives and families."