Family reunites with dog stolen from in front of daycare in Lincoln Park

A dog that went missing in Lincoln Park is back home with his family, thanks to the help of hundreds of strangers and two good Samaritans who were on the case. 

The family admitted it was a bad idea to leave their dog, Charlie, tied up outside their kids' daycare on Friday night, but they were shocked when he was taken.

The thief's movements were tightly tracked by people who heard about the theft.

Two people spotted Charlie in a Target, followed the dog and the alleged thief back to their apartment, then picked up the trail this afternoon as they left for the Jewel in Uptown. That's when they called the police and the dog's rightful owner.

"Charlie is home with us tonight because of our community. It was our friends, neighbors, the news, police, but most incredibly complete and total strangers. Hundreds, maybe thousands of total strangers that were spreading out around the internet, reaching out to us with tips," said owner Sean Franzblau.

He said the city showed up for his family in a way they will never forget.

The family also credited the Chicago police for their quick action and social media outlets for equipping people with big hearts with the photos and phone numbers that brought this story to a happy end.

The family put out a $5,000 reward for Charlie's return that was split between the two good Samaritans.

The happy ending didn't stop there.

Of the two good Samaritans who split the reward money, one gave their share of the money to the second good Samaritan because they felt they needed the money more.