SAN ANTONIO – Two French Bulldogs that were stolen from a backyard earlier in February have been safely returned to their rightful owners.
After nearly two weeks of uncertainty, Chewy and Nova are back in the arms of their family.
Jennifer, 9, and her mother, Celene Isaac, never thought this day would come. The dogs disappeared on Feb. 1, and the family feared they would never be found.
“When we saw them again, I was screaming for joy,” Jennifer said. “The first thing I said was, ‘Is it really you?’”
For Isaac, the reunion was a moment of relief.
“Everything just felt like it was whole again, like everything was right again,” she said. “The family was back together.”
The happy ending came thanks to a man who requested to remain anonymous. He shared his story of purchasing the dogs at an H-E-B parking lot on S. New Braunfels Avenue. The man had gone there to pick up some Valentine’s Day essentials when he encountered a seller offering the two French Bulldogs for $2,000.
“It was a great deal,” the man recalled, explaining how he was convinced the dogs were a bargain. But it wasn’t long before his friends and family pointed out that the dogs matched the ones stolen on social media and the news.
“The emotions were crazy,” he said. “One, it’s your best friend. Two, you bought the dogs and got used to them being around you every single day. So, not having them there, I can only imagine. I felt great giving them back.”
Although the man lost the money he spent on the dogs, he said doing the right thing was worth far more.
“The only thing on my end was I just got scammed,” he laughed.
The family is extremely grateful for the man’s honesty.
“Thank you, thank you very much. I’m very, very grateful,” Jennifer said.
Isaac is working on repaying the man for his loss, but she emphasized that no amount of money could truly express the family’s gratitude.
“I’m very happy that we found them,” Jennifer added, smiling at her reunited pets.
“They look pretty happy to be back with you, too,” KSAT John Paul Barajas said as Nova and Chewy playfully interacted with their owners.
