Armed robbers stoles four puppies instead, on Christmas day when they could not find cash in the owners house. A Wayne County sheriff’s captain explain how three men slipped through an unlocked sliding door at a northeast Ohio home at around 6 a.m. Thursday.

The suspects confronted a 32-year-old man in Semi rural Chippewa Township and struck him in the face with a handgun, and his 21-year-old wife was held up at gunpoint.

Authorities say When the suspects’ demands for cash weren’t met, the men scooped up four 3-week-old Cane Corso puppies and fled. Cane Corsos are an Italian mastiff-type dog that can serve as watchdogs and hunters.

Capt. Doug Hunter says the puppies’ chances of survival are slim because they’re not yet weaned. The puppies’ mother wasn’t taken.