Stolen dog recovered, reunited with Long Beach owner

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- An adorable little doggie has been reunited with his grateful owner, after being stolen while in a car in Long Beach.

A thief stole Aaron Ganz's car Friday night from outside a 7-Eleven with his beloved dog, 7-year-old Bauer, inside.

Ganz began pleading for help and posting on social media, and people reached out to help search.

Saturday night, Long Beach officers spotted the vehicle. They say patrol officers saw several people pushing a car down the street in the area of 10th Street and Walnut Avenue. They determined the car had been stolen the day before.

But Bauer was not inside.

Investigators eventually determined the people pushing the car were not the ones who allegedly stole it.

But they were able to identify a suspect at a nearby home. They went there and found a woman - and Bauer - inside.

The woman was arrested and Ganz was reunited with Bauer, as well as his stolen car.

The suspect was identified as Chantal Thompson, 33, of Long Beach. She was arrested for one count of grand theft auto and one count of grand theft money/labor/property. Bail was set at $35,000.

A tearful Ganz is grateful to be reunited with Bauer after experiencing "complete hopelessness" when they were separated.

"I feel like he would be out there wondering why I'm not out there," he said. "So happy to know that they found him."