Dog-Napped 'Apple' The Chihuahua Found: Cops [UPDATE]

SANTA CRUZ, CA – A dog that was stolen from its owner's office on Friday was returned safely hours after Santa Cruz police posted the story to its Facebook page on Tuesday, police said.

According to Santa Cruz police, the dog, a Chihuahua named Apple, was stolen from a downtown office a few days ago, police said Tuesday.

Not long after the Facebook post went up, a "community member," according to police, spotted Apple and convinced the person who had the stolen dog to hand them over. The person who retrieved the stolen dog and the person who was in possession of it at the time weren't identified.

The dog's owner, an unidentified man, was reunited with Apple sometime Tuesday, police said.

Police said the dog's owner was posting missing photos of the 9-year-old white Chihuahua around the downtown area Friday, believing he had run away from the office, when he viewed surveillance video from a nearby business of Apple being taken out of their office at about 2 p.m.

Police said the suspect was a woman with a lean body type, long reddish-brown hair and tattoos on her neck and chest area.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Santa Cruz police at (831) 420-5820. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call (831) 420-5995.

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PREVIOUS: TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 7:30 p.m.

Police are asking for the public's help identifying a suspected dognapper and locating the pup that went missing April 13 from a business in downtown Santa Cruz.

The owner of "Apple," a 9-year-old white Chihuahua with brown spots, posted "missing" flyers, initially thinking the little dog "scurried away from his office," the Santa Cruz Police Department said today.

But after checking surveillance video from a nearby business, the individual saw what appeared to be a woman walking out of the building carrying Apple, police said. The female suspect was described as being lean with long reddish-brown hair, and tattoos on her neck and chest area, the department said.

Anyone with information on the woman or Apple is asked to call Santa Cruz police at (831) 420-5820. Anonymous tips can be sent through the tip line (831) 420-5995 or www.santacruzpolice.com.

TO SEE THE VIDEO, CLICK HERE.

The police did not identify the business or Apple's owner.

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--Bay City News contributed to this report/Images via SCPD