Baytown family reunites with their stolen dog 5 years later

BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A Baytown family waited with a welcome sign in hand on Sunday afternoon as a plane made a landing from the Texas panhandle with their stolen dog from five years ago.

ABC13 first told you about the family whose dog 'Sheba' was stolen from their front yard and caught on surveillance camera back in 2018.

This week the Malmstrom family received an unexpected message, their dog was found more than 600 miles away in Borger by an animal control officer.

It's a day this family thought would never arrive.

Emotions were running high as a dog they love so much finally made it back to its pack five years later.

"Five years later, she still remembers her name and German commands," said Stephanie Malmstrom, the dog's owner.

The happy reunion comes with questions though... where has Sheba been? The Malmstrom's say they're beginning to piece the puzzle together as people have started to reach out to them about Sheba.

"Whoever stole her dumped her off in the Texan panhandle within two weeks, and this family adopted her and had her for four and a half years," said Malmstrom.

After that, there are still holes in Sheba's adventure. They know she arrived at another home where a teenager cared for her, then she escaped, and the animal control officer found her.

What's important now is she's back home, exactly where she's supposed to be after five years of adventure through Texas.

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