Workers at a pet store in New Hyde Park say at least three people pulled off a puppy pilfering scam Tuesday evening, making off with an 8-week-old male bulldog.

Store surveillance cameras captured a man snooping around the cage, then stepping up onto a ledge to reach in and grab the dog. He allegedly slid the dog under his parka before walking out of the store.

Manager Timothy Denis says he definitely did not act alone. He says the man knew which dog he wanted and that the other two people with him distracted the employees while the heist was going on. He says one individual even stood outside the room where the puppy was to signal it was OK to remove the pooch.

Pet shop workers say the purebred bulldog is worth $2,800, but that money might not be the motive. Denis says there was a woman fawning over the same puppy the night before and that the puppy may have been stolen as a present.

Another bulldog was stolen from a store down the street hours before that, police say. They?re looking into whether the two cases are related.

Anyone with information about the dog is being asked to call Crime Stopper at 1-800-244-TIPS.