Burnaby RCMP are appealing for the return of a stolen toy poodle named Coco after the dog was taken from a shopping cart while its owner was loading groceries into her vehicle.

Police say the incident happened on Saturday just before 6 p.m. PT in a parking lot at Lougheed Mall.

"I never thought that this could happen to me especially when there ... a lot of cars in the large mall," said the dog's owner Christina An. "I was in shock."

Burnaby RCMP are appealing for your help in returning Coco to its rightful owner. (Supplied)

An said she had been grocery shopping with Coco, who she carries in a special bag, and placed her on top of the shopping cart when she returned to her vehicle.

She then noticed a vehicle approaching quickly behind her and turned to see Coco in her bag being snatched away. Mounties said the silver four-door Honda Civic then drove away towards Lougheed SkyTrain station.

"So now after that incident happened I cannot trust everyone," said An. "I don't want ... to go any outside. It's just creating trauma to myself."

An said paramedics came to help her as she was hyperventilating over the bizarre and troubling theft of her pet.

Police say Coco, a four-year-old toy poodle, was taken from its owner while she was loading groceries into her car. (Supplied)

"I just don't want to give up any hope that something's happened to her. She is part of my family," An said, adding she is willing to pay $2,000 as a reward for the safe return of Coco.

An's also placed ads on Kijiji and Craigslist about the missing pet, in hopes that the person who took her, does not try to sell her for cash.

One suspect is described as a white male in his mid-20s with blond hair and was accompanied by a female.

Coco is a four-year-old toy poodle with a very short tail. She walks with a limp on its back leg and weighs about 5.5 pounds according An, who said Coco is "very friendly to humans."

Police said they have surveillance footage of the incident and are appealing to the public to help them return the dog to its owner.