'Maggie' Sent Home After Burglary Adventure In Florida

SARASOTA, FL — A lovable bulldog named "Maggie" was reunited with her California owner this week following a four-year cross-country adventure that left her thousands of miles away from home and a central figure in a Florida burglary spree.

"They were overjoyed and couldn’t wait to have her home," Genevieve Judge of the Sarasota Police Department told Patch on Thursday.

Maggie was found with a couple who were taken into custody in connection with at least eight burglaries in the upscale Lido Key area of the resort city on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Witnesses told police they remembered spotting a white bulldog around the time of the burglaries. In one case, Maggie was seen inside one of the victim's homes.

"Unknown why Maggie went along on the burglaries, but it helped detectives find who was responsible," Judge told Patch.

She said the burglary spree took place in October along South Boulevard of the Presidents, Grant Drive, McKinley Drive, St. Armands Circle and Cleveland Drive.

"Officers had been canvassing the area and letting residents know they were looking for people of interest, and described the suspects to include the bulldog," Judge said.

Finally, someone spotted Maggie being walked in the area on Oct. 20 and called police.

Fifty-two-year-old Tracie Eileen Defee of Patterson, Calif., and 48-year-old Michael Paine of Sarasota were found "hiding inside a bathroom inside a home in the 200 block of Grant Drive" and are now facing multiple felony charges, including burglary and trespassing, according to Sarasota police.

Sarasota police believe Maggie was stolen from California in Oct. 2015 by one of the burglary suspects who was taken into custody.

"I developed a bond with her immediately," shared Sgt. Eric Sgt. Eric Stafford of the Sarasota Police Department, who helped get Maggie back to her owner. "That's a very friendly dog. She runs up to you, just like you saw on the video, and wants to play. She's friendly to everyone — especially if you have food."

Judge said Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Animal Services traced Maggie back to California through an electronic tracking chip.

But the journey home was anything but smooth. Maggie's owner arranged for her to spend the required 14 days of quarantine and treatment at West Coast Veterinary Center of Sarasota on Clark Road, but that still left authorities trying to figure out how to get Maggie back to California.

Being a bulldog, she couldn't just hop on an airplane.

"We tried to fly her," Judge told Patch. "Turns out due to the type of dog ... and the respiratory issues they have, there have been instances where this type of dog has died in flights. So we tried commercial flights, with no luck."

Watch Maggie below with Sgt. Eric Stafford of the Sarasota Police Department as she prepares for her long ride home from Florida. (Via Sarasota Police Department)

Stafford helped raise $800 to arrange ground transportation for Maggie.

"Sgt. Stafford and several other officers asked if anyone in the department wanted to chip in ... and shared the story of how we found Maggie in the first place," Judge explained. "Many people stepped up."

Stafford, a 21-year police veteran and dog lover, said he saw it as his duty to help get Maggie back to her rightful owner, no matter how great the challenge.

"This required a little bit more than just putting someone in jail and following up with the state attorney's office," he acknowledged in an interview with Patch. "This required communicating with a person across country and trying to reunite him with his dog."

He said his fellow officers pitched in the $800 in just two days after sending out an internal email.

"Everyone was asking me, so I figured just sending out an internal email would get the money lickety-split and it did," he said.

Maggie headed home on Nov. 13 through Haulin’ Paws, a dog transportation service based in Texas. She arrived in California on Monday.

"Maggie’s family was overwhelmed," Judge said. "They actually had the opportunity to FaceTime with Sgt. Stafford before Maggie left Sarasota last week."

She said Maggie's owner prefers to remain anonymous but that he was only a teenager when the dog left California. He's now 22 and was thrilled to have Maggie come home.

"It’s definitely a favorite story of mine," Judge said.

Stafford added that he met Maggie for the first time just before she departed Sarasota.

"I'm actually a little bit emotional about it just because it's a big deal for me to get this dog back to a nice young person who had their dog missing," he said. "I've had dogs in the past. I would do everything I could to get my dog back and certainly accept any help to get that done."

Stafford said Maggie's owner already sent pictures and video of the happy reunion.

"It was quite great, moving, touching," the sergeant said. "Maggie remembered."