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3 Surviving Puppies Of 6 Stolen Last Week Reunite With Newark Family

(CBS) -- The three surviving puppies of a group of six that vanished last week from a family 70 miles southwest of Chicago have reunited with their home.

For five agonizing days the Black Mouth Curr puppies were away from their home with the Benson family in Newark, Ill., CBS2's Jim Williams reports. But they were found today after someone brought them back.

"It definitely restores our faith in people," one of the owners of the dogs, Cindy Benson says.

"To think about the journey they've taken. Oh, they've been through some stuff in the last 3 or 4 days," Terry Benson added. "It's been an emotional roller coaster."

Last Thursday all six puppies were stolen from the Bensons' open barn. The Bensons made a Facebook post, which was widely shared, asking for the public's help.

"We've had people from Canada call us," Terry said.

Four of the dogs were found outside a west suburban Target store. But only little Tuff was alive. Then on Monday, at Chicago's Montrose Beach, a man discovered two more puppies. He brought them to his vet at the Duke Animal Hospital.

"The fact that somebody found them and brought them in, and just make sure they were looking good and healthy, is really remarkable," Dr. Arian Santiago, the veterinarian who examined the puppies, said.

The power of social media had helped bring the pups home. A receptionist at the Duke Animal Hospital, Kristie Nichols, had just seen the family's Facebook post, so she recognized the puppies and knew where they belonged.

The Bensons say although they wish all six puppies could've been found together, they're happy that three survived.

"I cannot thank people enough," Terry said. "It's just very humbling to know there people out there who actually care enough to get involved."

Anyone with any information that could help the case is encouraged to email Kendall County Detectives at detectives@co.kendall.il.us, call Kendall County Dispatch at (630) 553-5856 or call Kendall County Crime Stoppers at (630) 553-5999.

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