ROCHESTER, Minn. 鈥� A Rochester family's stolen therapy puppy was found last week and returned home to the family, owner Jen Arendt said.
A dog-sitter in St. Paul was watching Sprinkles, a French bulldog puppy, on Thursday, Aug. 6, and recognized the puppy from Facebook posts over the past two months.
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The dog-sitter contacted Arendt that afternoon and, after she got off work, Arendt and her family, along with the dog breeder who could scan the chip in Sprinkles, made the trip to St. Paul that night to bring him home.
"We were all very emotional," Arendt said once they were reunited with Sprinkles. "He recognized us right away, too."
Sprinkles was reported missing on June 4.
The family was hoping to train Sprinkles to be a support dog for their three sons who have autism, with ages of almost 12, almost 14, and 16, Arendt said in June.
Arendt said four days after they reported Sprinkles missing, she got an anonymous text message saying the dog was taken by a St. Paul woman, but she felt there wasn't enough evidence to prove it was Sprinkles.
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Arendt said Sprinkles was sold to a St. Paul family in early July for $1,000, and had been with the family since before the dog-sitter contacted her on Thursday.
"We just can't thank the community enough for all the support we received over these past couple of months," she said.
