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Employees at Northwest Seed & Pet stopped two women who failed in their attempt to steal the $10 yard bird.

Doug Beernink, manager of the store at 2422 E. Sprague, said the woman and her mother entered the store Thursday and inquired about the smallish hen.

"I put the chicken in a box," Beernink said.

The older lady diverted the attention of the sales clerk while the younger woman ducked out and put the box in her car, Beernink said.

"Then she came back and started shopping like we didn't notice, but we did," Beernink said.

Alerted to the situation, Beernink called Crime Check, but Spokane Police hadn't arrived by the time the two women found the plant they were looking for and approached the cash register.

"The cashier asked twice if there was anything else she wanted to pay for," Beernink said. "She said, 'No.' "

Beernink and sales clerk Judith Feeley followed the women out to their car where the chicken box had been placed among about a dozen Chihuahuas.

An officer arrived and cited the women for theft, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Beernink said it's not the first time customers have tried to steal animals.

"We've had chickens, puppies, cats, iguanas and birds stolen. We have a big shoplifting problem here so we are going to be as hard on shoplifters as we can be," he said.

Even after receiving the theft citation, the younger woman asked Beernink to purchase the chicken.

"I said no. Then she asked if I would sell her mother the chicken and I did," he said. "The last we saw it, it was driving off the parking lot in the car with 11 Chihuahuas and two ladies."

# posted by Medical Information : 2:55 AM