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Dogs return home after being stolen along with car

The suspect allegedly took the vehicle Sunday evening, with two dogs inside.

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. - Two dogs have been reunited with their owners after the car they were riding in was stolen.

Maplewood Police say a vehicle with the dogs inside it was stolen on Sunday around 6:20 p.m. after the victim parked in front of the Holiday gas station at 1285 Cope Avenue.

Because of the frigid temperatures, the owner, Joe Nelson, told police they left their car running with two dogs inside -- an Australian shepherd mix named Willow and medium-sized black lab mix named Koda.

From left: Willow and Koda are still missing after being inside a vehicle that was stolen from a Maplewood gas station.

Authorities sent out a photo of the suspected car thief from surveillance video at the store.

Nelson told KARE 11 on Monday night that he was contacted via Facebook by a woman who said she had the dogs. She told him she saw them on TV and realized they were stolen. She said her brother had taken them.

"She just said she spent most of the day tracking him down," Nelson said. "She said she saw the thing on the news and said she for sure had to do something."

Nelson said when he met the woman at a gas station to get his dogs back, and they were "ecstatic" to see him.

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