Puppies taken from crash scene recovered

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Two puppies are back with their owners after they believe a mystery woman took them from the scene of a car crash last month.

In December, Marritsa Melendez was visiting Osceola County from Connecticut when a car she was traveling in with family got in a crash near Lakeland. 
Marritsa’s father was killed in the crash.

As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, her 2 16 week-old shih-poo puppies were taken at the scene.  Marritsa said she remembered waking on the concrete to a woman she’d never seen before.

"She said don't worry, I have your puppies, they're fine, I have them, I'll call,” said Melendez.

The woman didn’t call though, and no one at the scene could identify her. 

The puppies were gone, or at least they were until this week, when they showed up at a Ft. Lauderdale animal shelter.

Krystal Mapp, an employee at Broward County Animal Care and Adoption was browsing Craigslist ads to see if she could place any of the shelter’s animals back with owners who lost them. That’s when she found Melendez’s ad.

"As soon as I clicked on it I recognized the dogs automatically,” said Mapp.

The 2 dogs had arrived at the shelter after being confiscated from a home in the area, she said.

The shelter got in touch with Melendez and a family member flew to Southern Florida to pick up the happy, healthy pooches. The dogs are back in Connecticut with mom.