As a counselor for both in-class and online stop theft classes I follow stories about theft and shoplifting closely. You may know that I feel that stop theft classes should become a mandatory part of our children’s education. That is a subject for a different article.

Today I just want you to think about the following story and ask yourself if this thief should be mandated to take a stop theft class as a consequence of their actions. I ask you to ask yourself if a theft class taken in school (perhaps an 8-hour theft class taught annually beginning in 5th grade) might have deterred this thief before these actions happened. As reported in abclocal.go.com.

First, in New Jersey police arrested two people for stealing a 7-week-old English Bulldog puppy! Who steals a puppy? The thieves are 24-year old Thomas Meshach and 21-year old Carmen Fucci.

The dog, Blackie, weighed just 6 pounds and would have been sold for $3,500.

The gruesome theft was caught on camera as Mesach walked into the store and within a minute, he slides open the door to the dog cages and takes Blackie. Then, looking back to make sure no one is watching, he hurries off to a bathroom in the back.

Blackie was thrown out of this bathroom window and landed in an aquarium full of cold, dirty water.

After throwing the dog out the window, the suspect is seen getting car keys from his girlfriend, presumably to put the dog in the car. But he wasn't done yet. He comes back in and he and his girlfriend go downstairs to try to steal a sugar glider, a small marsupial that costs $225.

Surveillance video shows the man reaching his hand into the cage, getting bitten, and giving up. Finally, the couple selected a $5 dog toy to buy, and leaves.

Blackie is safe and these thieves may spend the rest of their lives regretting their decision to steal. Would a stop theft class have helped?