Stolen dogs found through Craigslist ad

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. -  Police recovered two puppies stolen and put up for sale on Craigslist.

Temple Terrace officers arrested Alexsia Owen, 24, and charged her with theft, possession of marijuana, methamphetamine and paraphernalia with the intent to distribute.

Thursday morning, Emran Benymaine noticed two of his small dogs had escaped underneath their backyard fence.

"I know where they usually try to go, so I canvassed the whole neighborhood," he said.

Within 15 minutes of last seeing them, Emran drove street by street, but couldn't find them.

So he posted to the Lost and Found Pets of Hillsborough County Facebook page and on Craigslist.

Within an hour, Emran received a strange message from a woman in Pinellas County.

"She said she saw the puppies and somebody is selling them on Craigslist," Emran explained.

In the same animal section he had posted about his lost dogs, there was another post with pictures of his puppies for sale.

Emran texted the number to try to get his dogs back.

"I looked at the text and she was demanding $100 each for the dogs," he said.

His next call was to Temple Terrace Police, and Officer Courtney Baldwin arrived.

"I took over the text messaging at that point, and I asked for her to bring the dogs back if she could," Officer Baldwin said. "She said that she would give the dogs back for a finders fee of $200."

Baldwin organized other officers to watch as Owen returned with both puppies.

"She shows up with the stolen property, and there was even a tattoo we were able to identify her with off of the Craigslist add," Officer Baldwin said.