A 4-month-old puppy that was stolen from a Central Texas animal shelter earlier this week has been returned.

The Austin Humane Society shared the good news in a Thursday, April 9, social media post, revealing that the 7-pound black and brown wire-haired terrier mix is now back in care. The post claims the dog was reportedly dropped off by a friend of the woman who stole him, along with a handwritten note apologizing for the theft. Upon arrival, the shelter said that Chico had been throwing up, but he will be checked out by the AHS veterinary team and monitored before being made available for adoption. 

The shelter’s director of communications, Sarah Hammel, told MySA that they will not be pressing any further charges. Hammel said that it is “mostly because we still do not have a confirmed identity of the woman involved and are just glad that Chico is back safe and sound with us!” 

The shelter said it took staff several minutes to realize she had left with the dog until they checked security footage. Additionally, the shelter said the information she provided on an adoption application ended up being a “dead end.” Chico had only been in the care of the Austin Humane Society for about a day before being stolen, was awaiting neuter surgery at the facility and was still in need of vaccines due to his young age. 

The shelter ended up asking the public for help to secure Chico’s safe return and contacted the Austin Police Department for assistance. It wasn’t long before local news outlets and the Austinites stepped in to share Chico’s story, and 48 hours later, AHS announced that he had been found. 

“We’re incredibly thankful to the Austin community and our media partners who helped spread the story about Chico far and wide,” AHS said in its Thursday social media post. “It was that community action that [led] to the individual deciding to return Chico to us for which we are so grateful.”Â