Men knock woman down and steal her dog during walk, St. Paul police say

Two men knocked a woman down and stole her dog as she walked the pet in St. Paul, officials said Thursday.

The attack of the 37-year-old woman occurred about 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood near Westminster Street and York Avenue, police said.

The dog, a French bulldog and Boston terrier mix, is named Clementine and is nicknamed “Tiny.” She is mostly black, weighs about 25 pounds and has an identification chip.

Police did not provide a description of the attackers. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact police at 651-266-5650.

French bulldogs are expensive pets, sometimes with price tags topping $10,000, making them targets for theft from time to time. While Clementine is not a purebred, it’s possible the perpetrators in this case did not know that.

Last fall, Christopher S. Brigham, 25, of St. Paul, received a 1¾-year sentence for his role in stealing a French bulldog off the porch of a Maplewood home in May and then holding it for ransom. The dog’s owner, Lynnea Sterling, said Thursday that her beloved Pablo has yet to be found.