MILWAUKEE — Two French Bulldogs have been returned to their owner after they were taken during a burglary.
According to Milwaukee police, the dogs were stolen on Nov. 23 around 8:45 p.m. Shortly after the burglary, one of the bulldogs was returned.
However, the second dog was not found until Jan 4, when it was located in Hartland.
Six weeks ago, Jenna Hayes' life changed instantly when she came back to a quiet home. She quickly realized both her French Bulldogs Frankie and Stella were taken while she was at work.
Luckily, Frankie was returned later that night, but Stella was nowhere to be found.
"For a while, it was just like, you'd be hopeful and the next day hopeless," Hayes said.
WATCH: That all changed Wednesday night when she was reunited with Stella at Milwaukee Police District 6.
"I'm just really happy," Hayes smiled.
But, Hayes believes without Billy's Posse, a lost dog recovery organization, Stella would not be back home.
Kristen Wilson founded Billy's Posse in 2017 to assist owners in the search and recovery of lost dogs. Over the years Wilson and her team of 20 volunteers have reunited many families with their lost dogs.
"Being there for the owner is the biggest thing," said Angela Carstensen, Billy's Posse Case Manager.
Wilson advises owners to take several steps when they first connect.
- Call non-emergency dispatch
- Call the local shelter in the area
- Get scent items of owner and dog outside
- Post to Nextdoor.com
- Post to petfbi.org and pawboost.com
- Share on social media
In this situation, Hayes and Wilson believe getting flyers out and posting about Stella on social media was a driving factor in getting her home.
Wilson said with dog thefts up, Billy's Posse is looking for more volunteers. To learn more about the non-profit, click here.
A suspect has not been arrested in this case, and Milwaukee police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the dogs were stolen during an armed robbery. The story has been updated to say the dogs were stolen during a burglary.
