HOUSTON - Two women were arrested after allegedly stealing a puppy worth thousands of dollars from a Texas pet store.

Police were called to the Petland Woodlands around 12:45 p.m. Monday. Employees said the two women asked to play with a 14-week-old French bulldog, Mario, and ran out of the store with him.

They took Mario outside and got into a car with no license plates. The women were attempting to reattach the plates when police arrived.

The pet store said Mario is worth $10,000, and the manager Andrew Jones said this is not the first time that someone has tried this at one of his stores.

“This happens more often than we would like to say,” Jones told KTRK. “French bulldogs are very highly sought after and, as a result, it is what people are attempting to steal.”

Mario was returned to the store unharmed.