A puppy stolen from a Mitchell pet store has been safely recovered, and the woman who reportedly took it is facing charges.
The 10-week-old puppy, valued at $399, is described as a chi/weenie, a designer cross-breed that is a mix between a Chihuahua and a dachshund. It was recovered in Chamberlain Saturday afternoon.
The puppy was taken from Ed's Pet World, 206 N. Main St., in Mitchell, at about 2 p.m. Thursday.
Owner Ed Anderson provided a surveillance video of the puppy-nabbing and The Daily Republic placed it on its website Friday morning, along with a story on the theft.
The story also ran on the front page of the paper's weekend edition, along with a photo of the dog.
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Anderson said the publicity helped solve the case and recover the puppy.
"The tips started coming in right away, 10 a.m. this morning," he said Saturday afternoon. "We were told it was in Chamberlain or in Aberdeen or all kinds of places.
"We were trying to chase down and put all the tips together," Anderson said. "We were able to determine the puppy was in Chamberlain."
He said at least one of the tipsters had spotted the dog from the news story.
"They actually saw it on the Daily Republic, on Page 1," Anderson said. "They had seen the puppy on Thursday and the woman had said she'd bought it at Ed's Pet World."
He said he's not sure who it was that reported the theft. The calls were from a blocked number, said Anderson, who offered a reward for the recovery of the puppy and the arrest of those involved.
"These are all anonymous tips," he said.
Anderson said once they had determined the puppy was in Chamberlain, he called the Mitchell Police Division, which contacted the Brule County Sheriff's Office.
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Anderson said the woman was arrested around 1 p.m. Saturday. A press release from the Mitchell Public Safety Department states that charges are pending and no officers were available for comment Saturday afternoon.
Anderson said the woman called him to apologize after she was arrested.
She told him she went to The Daily Republic website Saturday morning to see if there was any report on the theft.
"She watched the video and became very scared, very nervous," he said. "She said it was stupid she took it and apologized."
But Anderson said the apology rang hollow to him, since the woman only expressed her sorrow after she was in contact with the law.
"I said to her, 'Why didn't you bring it back to me then?' " he said.
Anderson was on his way to Chamberlain Saturday afternoon to pick up the puppy. He said he's glad it all ended this way.
"I am really grateful for The Daily Republic," he said.
