That Bites: Brutal Poodle Robbed This Morning

The Brutal Poodle made itself at home on South Broadway. Sarah McGill

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The Brutal Poodle hadn't been closed for long when two people on a motorcycle pulled up in the alley at around 5 a.m. today. While one person — maybe a female, in a white helmet with stickers — stayed by the bike, a man jumped the fence, then broke open the bar's back door with a crowbar.

He propped open the door and then went through the bar, breaking into the safe and emptying it, then demolishing the cash register. He took all the cash, some paychecks and any customers' credit cards that had been left behind. And then the pair left the way they had come.

"We got vandalized. We got robbed. We kind of got wiped out," says Ryan Oakes, who owns the Poodle with Wes Moralez. "Not sure what the amount is, maybe upwards of ten grand."

But there are a few bright spots in the gloom.

"I just did my inventory," Oakes notes, "and not one thing is missing. Not even a beer."

Too, the Brutal Poodle, which is located at 1967 South Broadway, is next to Angelo's CD's & Vinyl, which has a camera in the alley that caught video of the miscreants that could help the police.

click to enlarge

The thief captured by a nearby camera.

Brutal Poodle Facebook

And then there are the loyal customers, who set up a GoFundMe to help out the owners of what's become a neighborhood landmark since it opened seven years ago.

"Insurance will not reimburse the stolen money and while a successful business, this robbery has left them in a crippling spot. The money donated will go to recovering the stolen funds and out of pocket costs incurred to repair the damages," a supporter wrote. "Wes and his team have always gone above and beyond for their community, guests, and everyone around them."

The GoFundMe has already raised more than $6,000.

And the Poodle is back open tonight, pouring drinks and serving food to the fans who were so quick to rally around the neighborhood watering hole.

Oakes and Moralez have been stunned by the response. "We always want to give, we never want to take," says Oakes. "We're not a charity. We're never going to ask."

But to have the community so quickly give back? "It's cool," he adds. "It's a fun blessing in disguise."

So drink up! But if you left your credit card at the bar, the Brutal Poodle's Facebook page reminds you to cancel it, pronto.