A burglary in Point Reyes Station in the wee hours Sunday morning left the animal clinic bereft of roughly $10,000 worth of flea medication.
A deputy driving by the Point Reyes Animal Hospital around 3 a.m. espied a broken window; as it turned out, the perpetrator had thrown a brick through a glass panel and from there unlocked the front door.
Veterinarian and owner Mary Whitney said that when a longtime employee went to work the next day, she realized all of the flea medication was gone, though the thief apparently decided against pilfering heartworm medication, a laptop and a camera that were also inside.
Although topical and oral flea treatments may seem like a curious item to target, Ms. Whitney said she had heard of veterinary clinics being burglarized for flea treatment. Thieves sell it on Craigslist or out of their cars to people looking for cheap pet medication.
The burglar left behind a pair of ear buds and a cigarette butt.
Ms. Whitney said she would pursue security measures, like an alarm system or cameras, and warn other vets in the area. “I’m going to tell them: ‘Lock it up or be aware.’”
Seven days earlier, Building Supply was also the site of a theft—likely during business hours—when two deposit bags were taken from an unlocked safe. Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Nina Snyder remarked that the theft and the burglary, however, “two totally different types of crimes.”