Stolen Kissimmee puppy reunited with owner in heartwarming surprise
A stolen 1-year-old puppy has been reunited with her owner after officers say a homeless person took her and kept her in a relative’s home for about a month.
A stolen 1-year-old puppy has been reunited with her owner after officers say a homeless person took her and kept her in a relative’s home for about a month.
A stolen 1-year-old puppy has been reunited with her owner after officers say a homeless person took her and kept her in a relative’s home for about a month.
Adlai Grayson, the resident physician at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, came home from an overnight shift to find many of his belongings stolen.
Along with the missing items, he was missing his usual greeting at the door from his 1-year-old dog Juju.
“I’m on wards and it’s like 12-plus hour days in the hospital and it’s just like, whenever I came home, that was my moment of joy, being able to see her,” Grayson said.
Grayson and his sister scoured the neighborhood.
With no luck, they called police.
“They were calm on the phone, walking me through some of the steps, saying they were going to send somebody out there to get a report,” Grayson said.
The detective on the case, Rachel Higgins, said, after locating family members, she was able to find the suspect who was on parole out of Pennsylvania.
“When I called the Pennsylvania parole board, they had mentioned, ‘Oh, he’s actually incarcerated in the Orange County jail right now,’” Higgins said.
Higgins went to the jail and interviewed him, which led her to find Juju at the suspect’s brother’s house.
The reunion was a complete surprise.
Higgins asked Grayson to step out of work to sign some paperwork, but instead, reunited him with his furry, four-legged best friend.
“I love helping people, but especially animals and it just makes me so happy to have gotten her back,” Higgins said.
The reunion was emotional.
“When I saw her, the world just changed, everything was made right again,” Grayson said.
Grayson’s message to the community: Microchip your pets.
He is now moving in with his sister, so the two of them can keep an eye on Juju together.
He said he’s decided to drop the felony grand theft charges.