ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The attached video originally aired on Jan.12 2022, and involves a different dog that was taken along with a stolen vehicle.
A week and a half after she was stolen along with a St. Paul man's car, bull mastiff puppy Kua has been found and reunited with her owner.
St. Paul Police confirmed in a Facebook post Thursday that the nearly 5-month-old puppy was found safe, however a spokesperson for the department told KARE 11 that police didn't assist with Kua's recovery or return.
Police also confirmed that the Audi A6 that Kua was inside when she was stolen was recovered in Minneapolis and will be processed for evidence.
Kua's owner, Matt Thoreen, told KARE 11 back on Jan. 18 that he started his car around 6 a.m. Monday and went back into his home on the 1700 block of James Avenue. When he came back out the Audi was gone, along with Kua, who was inside a kennel in the back of the vehicle.
So far, no one's been arrested in connection to the theft.
Thoreen had offered a $5,000 reward for the safe return of the puppy, no questions asked. A GoFundMe started to generate money for that reward has raised more than $2,700 as of Jan. 27.
"As I was loading her into the kennel in the back of the car she became excited and started wagging her tail like she saw someone behind us, she gets excited and wants to greet anyone she sees. I turned and looked but saw no one. I think the thief was hiding somewhere nearby," he wrote in the post.
"I don't care about the car, but I need to get my dog back," he added, explaining that he has recently paid off some large vet bills that mounted before the death of his previous dog five months ago.
There have been similar incidents occurring across the Twin Cities metro in recent months, with dogs disappearing along with stolen cars. Police in a number of communities have reminded residents it is not a good idea to leave a vehicle running unattended, no matter the circumstances.
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