A puppy stolen from a Chicago-area pet store was found in Los Angeles nearly two months after it was taken, according to police.
The male blue merle English Bulldog puppy was taken from Petland in suburban Naperville during the afternoon on Dec. 18, the store said in a statement.
It was 10 weeks old when it was stolen, according to Petland Naperville, which called the dog a "rare color of a very popular breed."
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Police Department posted on Facebook that officers had "joined forces" with Naperville Police to rescue the dog, which had been taken to California.
"I have a question," LAPD wrote, in the voice of the now-rescued pup. "I checked the weather and it’s cold/snowy back home. Can you pull some strings and let me enjoy some sunny SoCal weather for a couple extra days?"
The post featured photos of officers posing with the dog, as well as the puppy in an LAPD shirt and sitting at a desk at the police station.
On Sunday, LAPD posted a photo of the dog reunited with its rightful owners, who traveled from Illinois to pick up their dog.
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The dog was slated to be a Christmas surprise, Petland said at the time it was stolen, adding that the family had made an appointment to see the dog the day it was stolen and was planning on taking it home that night.
"So this is bittersweet," LAPD wrote, again as the dog. "I’m happy my family came all the way from Illinois to pick me up, but I will miss Los Angeles. Now if I can only get a first-class puppy seat on the flight back home — I mean, come on, I did have to deal with being stolen and taken thousands of miles away."
It was not immediately clear if anyone was taken into custody or charged in connection with the theft.
