It is a heartbreaking experience to have your pet stolen. With less than 23 percent of lost or stolen pets being reunited with their owners in the U.S., according to the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families, this can be a daunting prospect.

Fortunately, a pet owner in Melbourne, Australia, was reunited with four German shepherd puppies that had been stolen from his home.

The puppies were stolen the day before

The puppies, who were only six weeks old, had been stolen the previous day. Thanks to an observant mother, the puppies were soon reunited with their owner, Mahzyar Farokhnejad. The woman spotted the puppies, shaking in a nearby front yard on the same street as Farokhnejad as she walked her daughter to school.

The thieves created a distraction

Farokhnejad said he has no idea who could have stolen the puppies. The whole ordeal started when a stranger knocked on the door of Farokhnejad’s home at 2:30 in the afternoon. Then, while Farokhnejad’s girlfriend was distracted, the thief jumped into the backyard and stole four of the five puppies located there. Police are still looking for whoever is responsible.

“I thought they would be safe at my house; stealing puppies is just the saddest thing you could do,” Farokhnejad told The Herald Sun. “I couldn’t sleep at all; I was just thinking about the puppies and if they were alright. (The mother Milo) was very upset that her pups were gone.”

Farokhnejad posted about the theft on social media

After the puppies were stolen, the couple shared an alert on social media. The post was shared more than 2,000 times that day and eventually led to the puppies’ recovery. The woman who spotted the puppies and alerted the police to where they were recognized them from the social media post.

The social media post helped in finding the puppies

Police believe the attention that the post got on social media is what led to the thieves dumping the dogs. Police are encouraging the community to keep out an eye for the thieves.

“It was very cruel. It was quite cold this morning; [the puppies] were shaking,” a police spokesman told reporters. “Fortunately for us and the victims, [the thieves] got scared and left them there. Essentially, the person going to the front door yesterday could have been a decoy for the other person taking the puppies, so we’re looking for one to two offenders at least.”

How to keep your dog from getting stolen

The best way to keep your dog from getting stolen is to not leave your dog alone unless you can monitor them, including in the yard or your car. You can also have them microchipped, which could make it easier to determine if they are yours if they are found.

Make sure your dog has a collar with a tag with your current address and phone number. That way if they are simply lost, they can be easily returned. You should also take photos of your dog, from all angles, so that they can easily be identified.

You can watch the video of the stolen puppies being reunited with Farokhnejad below.

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Source: Facebook/Victoria Police

H/T: Instagram/cooper_thegsd, Daily Star Post, Blue Cross