SALISBURY, N.C. -- Seven purebred puppies were snatched from a couple’s kennel just outside Salisbury overnight.

Barbara and Lee Higgins, who run Paws and Wags along U.S. 29, said breeding and raising small dogs is expensive, so the cute little puppies stolen are worth nearly $3,000.

But it’s not just the money that has the Higginses upset. They love the dogs, and they’re worried the 6-week-old puppies could end up in the wrong hands.

“I tried not to get too upset,” Barbara Higgins said. “I didn’t want to get upset.”

The loss is, however, a blow to the Higginses' income. They are retired and use the profits from puppy sales to pay for their medicine.

So on Thursday, Lee Higgins spent the afternoon installing an alarm system on the kennel. He said he hopes officers will catch the thieves if they try to break in and steal his dogs again.

The Higginses said four of the puppies taken were already sold and set to be picked up Saturday. Still, Barbara Higgins said she's not necessarily angry at the people who erased that deal.

"I just feel sorry for those people who try to take it from someone else, who are trying to make a living," she said.

In addition to the security system, the Higginses are also taking several other security precautions to hopefully stop a break-in from happening again.

Also, detectives said the stolen puppies don't have the proper paperwork and that will make them a little more difficult to sell. If you know anything that can help detectives, call the Rowan County Sheriff's Office at (704) 216-8700.