If dogs could talk, Princess the Yorkie would have quite a story to tell.

The four-pound pup was stolen during an aggravated burglary July 24 in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Since her abduction, she was brought to Alabama, traded to repay a debt, adopted and, finally, reunited with her rightful owner after a Hueytown dog groomer recognized her from social media posts.

"The original post had nearly 15,000 shares since we posted on Saturday,'' said Dana Darby, founder at Pound on the Hill Animal Rescue in Bessemer. "We had calls from all over the U.S. and Canada. So many people were looking for this four pounds of love."

The owners of Princess returned home from running errands that July Monday to find their back door kicked in and many of their valuables gone. But the most valuable valuable - Princess - was a devastating loss.

Lincoln County sheriff's officials then told the victims they had caught the perpetrator, but had not yet found Princess. The suspect told investigators he took the dog to Alabama and gave it to someone to repay a debt.

Richard Earnest Williams, originally from Bessemer, was arrested on July 27 and charged with several aggravated burglaries. Lincoln County investigators Nathan Massey and Patrick Murdock conducted several interviews and developed information that the dog had been sold in Bessemer, but the suspect either refused or didn't know who that dog had been sold to, Massey said Wednesday.

Richard Earnest Williams

That information was relayed to the victim and several dog rescue programs in and around Bessemer. On Sept. 2, Darby created a Facebook post with the information about Princess

This was part of Darby's original post about the missing Princess: "The burglar admitted stealing the dog. He brought it to Bessemer where he used to live. Pound on the Hill Animal Rescue has tapped every resource we know and cannot find this baby. She was reported to have been given to the mother of the person the burglar gave it to.

I am certain the person who has her does not know this dog was stolen. There is a family in Tennessee who misses their companion terribly. They just want her back. No questions. If the person who has her wants another Yorkie, they will gladly get her one. Please come forward if you have her.

A rather large reward is being offered for her return or for information leading to her return. Again, if the person who has her would prefer to have a Yorkie, we will provide you with one or take the reward and purchase one! The dog would have appeared in the Bessemer area around the 25th of July. Her tail has a longer docking than most. Her ears are short for a traditional Yorkie. There is nothing special about this particular dog except to her family. She is not even a pure-bred Yorkie."

Tips came in from all over, but the whereabouts of Princess remained a mystery until Tuesday, when she landed on the grooming table at Elegante Poodle Inc. in Hueytown. Groomer Mary Avery said she didn't see the dog brought in, but recognized her immediately when she saw her preparing for pampering.

"I was like, 'There is no way that is the dog I saw on Facebook,''' Avery told AL.com on Wednesday. In fact, just days before, she too had shared Pound on the Hill's Facebook post about Princess.

Princess, Avery said, had a tail that is longer than most Yorkies, and that stood out to her. She contacted Darby, and sent her some photos of the dog on her table. She went back and forth with Tennessee detectives and, at the end of the day, had Princess's owner, Teresa Mitchell, call on speaker phone to see if Princess responded to her voice.

"She started pawing at the crate to get out,'' Avery said. "It was a crazy day."

When the woman returned to pick up Princess, Elegante Poodle employees broke the news to her. "She got upset because she had bonded with her but she understood and she just wanted to get the baby back to her owners,'' Avery said.

Darby picked up Princess and took her back to Pound on the Hill to await the arrival of Princess's owners, who immediately left Tennessee headed to Alabama to pick up their fur baby. Darby said the emotional reunion was everything she hoped it would be. "I doubt Princess knows that thousands of people have been looking for her all over the U.S. and Canada, but if she did, I know she would be grateful to each and every one of you. I know I am,'' Darby wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Williams remains in a Tennessee jail on $112,000 bond. He is charged with aggravated burglary, theft of property, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and vandalism.

Darby called Avery a hero, but Avery said she doesn't really see it that way. "I just wanted to do a good thing,'' she said. "It was a hard situation to deal with, but I think we dealt with it well."