Lt. Lauren White says the man's car was burglarized in 2007 and he contacted police, but the trail went cold.
A chaplain at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi later found the urn and its contents on campus, along with a note from the anonymous burglar expressing remorse. The urn was turned over to a funeral home.
Police thought the remains were human and asked the public last week for help in locating the owner.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported Tuesday that the dog's owner, whose name wasn't immediately released, read a news story about the urn and contacted police.