Stranger Finds Stolen Dog Listed On Craigslist, Buys It, And Returns It To Owner

A California mother is elated after the kind efforts of a total stranger helped her get back their family dog safe and sound. The stranger who found the stolen dog listed for sale on Craigslist actually bought the dog from the seller and gave it back to the actual owners.

This incredible story happened in Fresno, California, following which it is being widely talked about on social media. The stranger in this story is Jeremiah Lee, and the owner of the dog is Crystal (Kris) Villasenor. According to Eyewitness News, Kris lost her dog, a cute puppy named Ziggy, on the evening of November 7. Ziggy was stolen from Kris’ front yard allegedly by a homeless person. After it became clear that Ziggy was stolen, Crystal turned to Facebook for help. She posted a picture of Ziggy and shared details about the dog and where it was stolen from. Kris’ appeal for help was chanced upon by Jeremiah Lee, who saw the post being shared by one of his aunts.

“I was browsing Facebook the other day and my aunt shared a post about a lost dog,” Jeremiah Lee told ABC News. “I read it and realized that the dog was stolen in my neighborhood.”

Since the dog was stolen from his neighborhood, he decided to keep a watch and check all possible avenues to locate the dog. He also turned to Facebook and subsequently chanced upon a comment left on Kris Villasenor’s post on Fresno’s lost and found pets Facebook page. One commenter had posted a link to a Craigslist listing that talked about a dog being sold.

The dog looked exactly like Ziggy. Wasting no time, Jeremiah called the number that was listed on the listing to confront the person who had put the stolen dog for sale, expecting no straight answers. Jeremiah was, however, surprised by the caller at the other end, who revealed that the dog was, in fact, sold to her by a homeless woman.

“I texted the number thinking that there was no way that they would respond and just told them that they had broken a little girl’s heart and to do the right thing.”

Meanwhile, still skeptical of the woman’s story, he asked her to meet him at a public place so that he can buy the dog back from her and give it to the rightful owner. The duo met, and Jeremiah purchased the dog from the woman for $40 and took it home. He then contacted Villasenor through Facebook and told her he had their puppy and that they could take it back.

Kris soon arrived at Jeremiah’s place and was finally reunited with Ziggy who, at this point, was missing for nearly 48 hours. She insisted Jeremiah accept $40 from her for the expense he incurred in bringing the dog back to its owners. Jeremiah however politely refused the offer. He was more happy with the reaction of Kris’ daughter, whose voice he heard through Kris’ speaker phone.

“When Kris got to my house she put her daughter on speaker phone and she was bawling, it was so sweet,” Lee said.

Meanwhile, it still remains unclear who stole the dog from Kris’ front porch. She did, however, name the suspect as a bald homeless woman from the area.

Incidentally, an earlier post on Kris’ Facebook page reveals that Ziggy was found by her just a month ago. In the post, she also says she would check if the dog was chipped. It remains unclear whether she decided to keep the dog for herself after she was unable to find Ziggy’s original owners.

[Image via Ed Yourdon [CC BY-SA 2.0] / Wikimedia Commons]