Pinellas Deputy Reunites Stolen Pup With Dunedin Owner

DUNEDIN, FL -- Arlo the miniature pinscher is safely back in the arms of Dunedin resident Ashley Smith, 34, after a harrowing three-week ordeal in which he was lost and found, only to be stolen by a woman who falsely claimed to own the little dog.

Although finding lost dogs isn’t normally in his job description, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Amlin felt a tug on heartstrings when the sheriff’s office received a call from a distraught Dunedin resident whose miniature pinscher had wandered away from home on Sept. 3.

After asking around about the dog, Amlin learned that resident Frances Sigler had found a dog matching Arlo’s description wandering through her neighborhood.

When Sigler circulated word that she’d found a lost dog, a woman responded, telling Sigler the dog belonged to her. Sigler was only too happy to reunite Arlo with his owner and was dismayed to learn from Amlin that the woman wasn’t really Arlo’s owner.

Although Amlin didn’t have the name of the accused dog-napper, Sigler was able to provide a detailed description of the woman.

Amlin and fellow deputies began circulating the description throughout the community and learned that the woman frequented Dodge’s Convenience Store at 466 Patricia Ave., Dunedin.

The deputies were able to obtain a photograph of the woman from the store’s surveillance video to circulate.

Store employees promised to be on the lookout for the woman as well.

On Sept. 9, they were true to that promise. The woman, later identified as 42-year-old Rebecca Smith (no relations to the victim) walked into the convenience store, and employees recognized her immediately.

They promptly notified the sheriff’s office that Smith had not only returned to the store but she had Arlo in the front seat of her SUV.

Concerned that deputies wouldn’t arrive before Smith left, store manager Caressa Schade boldly followed Smith to her SUV and grabbed Arlo from the front seat.

Smith fled in her SUV. Shortly after, Arlo was reunited with his grateful owner.

Deputies finally tracked down Rebecca Smith at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26. She was arrrested on one count of grand theft, possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Image via Pinellas sheriff

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