Most dog owners treat their pups like part of the family, but there are some people who view pets as a way to make money.
That was the case back in January when a California family lost their beloved French Bulldog puppy. Mother of two girls Tiffani Shows reported to police that someone broke the latch on their gate, pulled their fence apart, and entered their yard to steal Sol, a puppy they had recently brought into the family. They paid a breeder $3,500 for the adorable pup, but it was a missing family member, not a financial loss, that prompted the family to involve police.
Shortly after the dog was stolen, Shows found a lead on his whereabouts. She was looking through ads on Craigslist when she came across a picture of her stolen pup. Sol was being sold for $1,200, and the family was willing to pay the price to get him back.
Shows sent a message to the seller explaining how her girls cried themselves to sleep after their dog was stolen, and all they wanted was to have their family member back. They offered to pay, but they never got a response from the mysterious seller. Shortly after, the listing was removed from Craigslist, and the trail went cold.
It didn't take long, however, for investigators to get a lead on the Craiglist seller. They tracked the person down to an apartment in a nearby town. The seller claimed they found the puppy on the side of the road and decided to sell it. In fact, they had already gone through with the sale, and the puppy was no longer in their care.
Refusing to give up, police then followed their lead and found the person who bought the dog. But once again, they didn't find the dog. After buying the dog, this person turned around and immediately sold it to a family for a profit.
This time when police knocked on a door looking for the person who bought Sol, they finally found him. The family claimed they had no idea the puppy had been stolen and subsequently sold twice. They were treating him well in their home with two other dogs, but they understood Sol wasn't theirs to keep. They knew returning the pup to his original family was the right thing to do.
After being stolen from his yard, sold twice, and missing for a week, police were able to reunite Sol with his family. Now that they have him back, Shows and her girls aren't letting their little guy out of their sight.
Did you know dog-napping is a widespread problem? Let us know in the comments.
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