Detroit senior reunited with stolen Shih Tzu thanks to microchip

An 82-year-old woman was attacked and her dog stolen.  Her family even offered a $5,000 reward for the dog's safe return, but it turned out money wasn't what they needed to track him down.

It is the reunion few thought would happen, but Audrey said she knew her seven-year-old Shih Tzu would find his way home.

Last Thursday, thieves waited for Audrey as she and her beloved pups Sugar Daddy and Baby Doll walked out of her Detroit home.

"I opened the door, and they slammed the door on my hand," she said.

Audrey ran inside.  Surveillance footage from a neighbor's home captured some of the scene.  Baby Doll bit the thieves and ran off, but Sugar Daddy wasn't so lucky.

"One of the guys jumped out, and they grabbed Sugar Daddy," said Audrey.

Her daughter sprang into action plastering signs all over the neighborhood offering a $1,000 reward, then $2,000 and finally $5,000 for Sugar Daddy's safe return -- a hefty amount to some, but to this family Sugar Daddy is priceless.  Audrey said she was devastated.

"Unable to eat, not able to sleep or do anything," she explained.

However, it turns out they didn't have to spend a dime because Sugar Daddy was at the Michigan Humane Society almost the whole time.

"As far as we know, he came into us as a stray animal, but he was turned in and we scan every animal," said Anna Chrisman with MHS.

Since Sugar Daddy had a microchip, the Michigan Humane Society knew exactly where he belonged.

"The microchip is a form of permanent I. D.  It never gets lost, and it's always with the dog," Chrisman said.

Audrey and her family believe the thieves were the ones who turned in Sugar Daddy, but they're not worried about prosecution.  They are just glad he is home.

"If your pet ever gets lost or separated from you, the microchip is a sure fire way that we're going to be able to find you and track you down," said Chrisman.

For more information on having your pet microchiped, visit www.michiganhumane.org.