Milwaukee French bulldogs believed stolen found safe

MILWAUKEE - Abby and Gigi, two French bulldogs stolen from a Milwaukee yard on Friday, March 10, were reunited with their owner on Thursday, March 23.

Kimberly Bonds told FOX6 News she picked up her dogs from the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission Thursday. She said she’s not sure who had them or if someone even did, but she said she was just happy to take them home safe.

FOX6 spoke with Bonds days after it happened. She believed her pets were stolen.

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Bonds has three French bulldogs, and her home is usually full of the pitter-patter of paws. She let Abby and Gigi outside as usual on March 10, and 20 minutes later, they were gone. Her back gate was open. 

"My big dog Lucius comes in, but there’s not Abby and Gigi," Bonds said. "My heart. I just literally dropped in the alley. My heart just like – I’m never going to see my babies again."

It's what happened next that made Bonds feel like evil was lurking.

"Somebody had seen them being picked up in a blue van. She said her husband asked if they were his," said Bonds. "The man then replied, ‘They’re mine now’ and took off."

During their separation, Bonds was reminded of the pain at work at a vet clinic.

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"I see these Frenchies coming in, and my heart just breaks because I’m always like, ‘Yeah I got these dogs. Here are my babies,’" she said.

Several French bulldog owners have also reached out to FOX6 News about their missing or stolen dogs. The American Kennel Club named French bulldogs the country's new favorite breed, ending Labrador retrievers' record 31-year run.

"I always thought that this would never happen to me, and it did," said Bonds.