Police are looking for three bulldog puppies that were stolen from their owner’s backyard Friday afternoon.

Anne Liu, who owns the 8-week-old English Bulldog puppies, said she put the dogs out for a quick run in the backyard of their Danforth Ave. and Main St. home. No more than a minute later, around 3 p.m., the dogs were gone.

“Emotionally, I’ve been hit over the head,” Liu said. “I just want them back.”

Winston, Abigail and Mildred are worth about $3,000 each, according to Liu.

“It’s so obvious to me that whoever took them was motivated by money,” Liu said.

Matilda, the puppies’ mother, has been searching Liu’s house for them as they are still nursing.

“We don’t care if the puppies just magically appear in our backyard, the important thing is that they come home,” Liu said.

Someone else reported their three-month old Cane Corso puppy was stolen in the same area about two weeks ago, according to Det. Hunter Smith. Police are investigating a potential link between the two thefts.

Det. Bryan Campbell says he can only speculate why someone would steal puppies, but “some breeds can be very, very expensive.” He says police are hoping someone will recognize the puppies from the photos and help return them to their owner.

“It’s going to be one of those things where your neighbour all of a sudden has three young dogs that look like this. So we’re going to be counting on the public to help us with this one,” he said.

Anyone with information can contact Toronto Police at 416-808-5400 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477 or visit their website.