Man Reunited With Dog Who Was Stolen In Broad Daylight

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities man and his beloved dog are reunited after the pet was stolen out of his yard.

Steve Woodrich and his dog Ellie looked happy as ever to be back together Wednesday.

Last week, home surveillance cameras caught a man stealing the dog from the south Minneapolis home. After our story aired, Woodrich says he learned it was someone he knew who took Ellie.

He says it was her previous owner who had to give the dog up more than a year ago because pets weren't allowed at the previous owner's apartment. In order to avoid criminal charges, Woodrich said the man agreed to return the dog.

"I'm gonna be civil about it," he said. "(The previous owner) didn't say one word to me (when returning the dog). And that's ok if that's the way you want to be. You're the one who did this to me and now I'm getting the cold shoulder? It didn't make no sense."

Woodrich plans to micro-chip Ellie. He advises homeowners to invest in surveillance systems. He was also thankful for everyone who shared the video on social media and offered to put up flyers when Ellie was gone.