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Sick Puppy Returned After Theft From Joliet Animal Shelter

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A sick puppy was returned to a Joliet animal shelter on Wednesday, two days after someone stole the dog.

"The important thing is she's back," said Chris Ulrich, a board member at Hopeful Tails Animal Rescue. "We are so excited. Words can't even express it."

A woman brought the 8-week-old Shih Tzu-Poodle mix to the Joliet police station around 7 a.m. Wednesday. Joliet Police Deputy Chief Alan Roechner said the woman told police her daughter got the dog as a Valentine's gift from her boyfriend, who claimed he got the puppy from a friend who bought it from a man in Elwood.

The woman recognized the puppy from news coverage of the theft. Hopeful Tails officials had been worried about the puppy's health, because she was being treated for a respiratory infection, and needs medication.

Ulrich said the puppy is doing well.

"We went down to the police station, and picked her up, and took her straight to our vet. They checked her out right away. They did say that she still has a little bit of that upper respiratory infection, so to continue that course of treatment we had already started," Ulrich said. "Other than that she was in great shape."

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The shelter has named the puppy Faith, because they had faith she'd be returned.

"After going through all of this, it definitely has helped to restore our faith in humanity that everybody banded together, put the word out there, helped us out, supported us, and that people then did the right thing and turned her in," she said.

Someone stole Faith from Hopeful Tails on Monday.

A volunteer was walking out a door as two men were approaching the building. She believed they were volunteers as well, and let them in.

Ulrich said the two men grabbed a puppy that was in quarantine, and left in a car waiting outside.

No one was in custody for the theft on Wednesday.

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