PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A puppy stolen from the Animal Rescue League earlier this week has been found.

It was all caught on the animal shelter’s surveillance video and officials from the facility were very concerned about the animal and where it was taken.

KDKA’s Christine D’Antonio Reports:



It was the moment the Animal Rescue League had been waiting for.

It was Tuesday afternoon when a Pit Bull-Labrador puppy was stolen from the shelter.

Nicole Deusanio, 26, and Kayla Pint, 25, had gone into the East Liberty shelter to inquire about adopting a dog.

Police say the women, who had a small child with them, thought no one was looking when they scooped the puppy up and hid him in a sweatshirt. However, the shelter’s surveillance cameras were rolling the whole time.

Police Officer James Ilgenfritz saw a link to the surveillance video on a friend’s Facebook page and thought he recognized one of the women.

He was on his way to her house when Pittsburgh Police said they too had gotten the same name from a tipster. When Ilgenfritz got to the Homestead residence, the two women knew it was over.

“Both females from the video were there. They advised me that they knew we were looking for them,” said Officer Ilgenfritz.

The duo told officers they were hoping for leniency, so they’d sent a friend to return the puppy. Officer Ilgenfritz got the women and the puppy and turned them both over to Pittsburgh Police.

“Thank you to all the listeners and people watching social media and watching the TV stations that helped find the people that stole the puppy,” said Dan Rossi, of the Animal Rescue League.

The women are now in jail.

KDKA’s Paul Martino Reports:



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