Shelter Dog Meal Donation Count:

Learn More

Stolen Puppy’s Miraculous Return Home Made Possible Thanks To Social Media

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on June 23, 2022

Korben the Yorkie puppy is only six months old, but he has already been through a lot. He receives plenty of love at home, but he recently met someone who wasn’t so kind to him. One morning, Brandi Major’s daughter let the pup out into the yard instead of taking him on a morning walk. It seemed harmless at the time, but he vanished when her back was turned.

When Major arrived home later, Korben was nowhere to be seen. Yet, the gate to the fenced-in yard was open, and the puppy’s identification tags were on the ground. Major knew that someone had stolen her beloved dog, and she was heartbroken.

Yorkie puppy fresh haircut
Image: Brandi Major Facebook

Innocent Dog in Danger

Major explained that her gate is hard to push open, so someone must’ve opened the gate, taken off Korben’s collar, and run off with him. All her contact information was on his tags, and he hadn’t been microchipped yet. So, she frantically drove around the neighborhood calling Korben’s name. When that didn’t work, she also made posters to spread around.

“I was so heartbroken, I really was, because that’s my little muffin.” Major said.

While Major was looking for her puppy, Stacey Carlton found Korben. Her father-in-law witnessed someone throw the dog out of a vehicle and into a puddle. He scooped up the soaked puppy and brought him to Carlton. She quickly took pictures of him and posted them on lost dog Facebook groups. Yet, Carlton and Major never saw each other’s posts.

Lost Yorkie at shelter
Image: @MetairieHumaneShelter/Facebook

Carlton couldn’t care for the puppy herself, so she eventually brought him to Metairie Humane Society, who also shared his photo on Facebook.

Internet Brings Korben Home

Luckily, one person saw both Carlton’s post and Major’s post. They realized that the two women were talking about the same dog, so they reached out to Major. Major then contacted Carlton, who gave her the information for the humane society. In no time, Major and Korben were reunited!

Yorkie and woman reunited
Image: Brandi Major Facebook

Korben is now at home, cuddling with his kitten brother named Tico. Since this scary event, Major has met up with Carlton to thank her. She even brought along baby gifts for Carlton since she’s expecting.

“I told her the best gift is knowing that he’s back home,” Carlton said about Korben.

While Korben’s story has a happy ending, not every stolen dog is as fortunate. Metairie Humane Society says they receive between 75 and 100 lost dogs every year, but only about half of them find their way home. So, Major has since gotten Korben microchipped to ensure that he stays extra safe from now on.

Yorkie puppy napping
Image: Brandi Major Facebook

H/T: nola.com
Featured Image: @MetairieHumaneShelter/Facebook