Police: Puppy Stolen in Pittsburgh Reunited with Its Owner

A little puppy stolen Tuesday night in Pittsburgh has been reunited with its owner, police said.

City Public Works Department workers found the puppy, named Daphne, in Blue Slide Park after a passerby alerted them that the puppy was spotted, WTAE reported.

The public works employees brought her to the Zone 4 police station, and she was later reunited with her owners.

Daphne is home!

City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works employees found the stolen puppy in Blue Slide Park.

Zone 4 Commander Daniel Herrmann reunited her with her ecstatic owners!

Thank you to the public and the media for spreading the word far and wide! pic.twitter.com/6ZBsU2A9i2

— Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) January 6, 2021

The four-month-old mixed breed puppy was stolen Tuesday around 5:50 p.m. in the 2000 block of Beechwood Boulevard, KDKA reported.

Police say the puppy’s owner was taking her for a walk around the Frick Park Environmental Center when an unidentified man stopped to pet the animal.

Police say he then unhooked Daphne’s leash, picked her up, and ran off with the dog when the owner asked for Daphne back.

“I was screaming. I was in the street yelling, ‘Help somebody stole my dog,'” said Debbie Gespass, Daphne’s owner.

The Gespass family said neighbors called the police, some witnesses chased the man, while others gave the police a description of the man.

Sixteen hours later, Daphne was found alone in Blue Slide Park, and a police escort accompanied her home.

“This police officer knocked on my door, and he said, ‘I have something for you,’ and he looked really excited about it, and of course I knew, and she comes bounding out of the van,” said Gespass.

Police have not yet released an update on the man who stole her.