Stranger Buys Stolen Puppy From Craigslist, Returns It to Owner

— -- A stolen puppy found his way home thanks to a kind stranger and social media.

Ziggy was stolen from a crate in his front yard in Fresno, Calif., on Friday, owner Kris Villasenor told ABC News today. A stranger’s act of kindness reunited the white Maltese with his family the next day.

“I was browsing Facebook the other day and my aunt shared a post about a lost dog,” Jeremiah Lee told ABC News. “I read it and realized that the dog was stolen in my neighborhood.”

Lee decided to keep an eye out for the dog and on Villasenor's post on Fresno’s lost and found pets Facebook page.

“Sure enough, one of the other commenters found him on Craigslist and shared the link,” Lee said. “I texted the number thinking that there was no way that they would respond and just told them that they had broken a little girl’s heart and to do the right thing.”

To Lee’s surprise, the seller answered, telling him that she had bought Ziggy from a homeless person and had no idea that he was stolen, according to Lee. He added that he was skeptical of her story but met her at a public place Saturday evening and paid $40 for the Maltese he had never met.

Lee immediately got in touch with Villasenor through Facebook, he said, and the happy owner picked up her dog right away.

“When Kris got to my house she put her daughter on speaker phone and she was bawling, it was so sweet,” Lee said. “Kris insisted on reimbursing me, to my protest. I wanted to help because I would hope that someone would do the same for me.”

Villasenor said Ziggy is a little scared after being handed off so many times in 48 hours but she can tell he is happy to be back home.

"It's amazing what Jeremiah did just to get the dog back," she added. "The kids are super stoked about it. It's a wonderful feeling."