Dog Reunited With Family After Disappearing From Burglarized L.I. Home

MERRICK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A black and white dog named Cookie has been returned to his owners days after disappearing following a burglary at the family's home.

The Shih Tzu Bichon mix was in good condition, police said.

Last Monday, someone broke into a Merrick Avenue home through a basement window and then left through the front door between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., police said.

Owner Gus Lafkas returned home to find the house burglarized and Cookie missing.

Nassau County police said Cookie was returned three days later.

"Everyone is very excited, overwhelmed, my children are beside themselves," Cookie's owner Patti Lafkas told 1010 WINS.

Police wouldn't say what led them to Cookie, Newsday reported. They only said that the dog was returned after they got a phone call.

The family said the 2-year-old pup was a homebody and they believed he had been stolen during the burglary.

"He's always in the house or in the backyard unless we're taking him somewhere with the car," Patti Lafkas said.

The Nassau County SPCA had offered a $1,000 reward for his return. It wasn't clear whether it had been claimed.

A flat screen television, jewelry, XBox, iPad, cellphone and designer handbags were stolen from the home in last week's burglary, police said.

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