ELYRIA — Shiloh the dog is safe and sound.

The 4-year-old pooch, which was dognapped Wednesday from the Friendship APL on Murray Ridge Road, was found Friday night abandoned in a church parking lot.

“We were having a Bible study last night, and as people were leaving, I saw the dog walking across the yard,” said Thom Cody, head pastor at the Church of God just down the street from the APL.

Shiloh was collared and leashed but had no tags, and Cody said he knocked on neighbors’ doors trying to find her owner. A church member recognized her Saturday morning, and Cody called APL assistant Executive Director Sue Heys.

Shiloh, a bluetick coonhound mix, wasn’t injured, Heys said. The dog had been missing for about two days, since an oddly dressed man and woman stole her, she said.

When APL workers discovered her cage was empty, they remembered the couple because they were dressed in flamboyant clothing, Heys said. The man in particular stood out, with a black fedora and golden stud in his nose, she said.

Heys said the couple wanted to adopt Shiloh but said they didn’t have the money. They were told they couldn’t take her home without paying an adoption fee, but they were allowed to take her for a walk in the APL parking lot.

A little while later, the man and woman were spotted loading Shiloh in a later-model four-door Pontiac Grand Prix, Heys said.

She said she was relieved that Shiloh was unharmed because there was a possibility the dog had been stolen for pit bull baiting.

“I think those kids panicked after they saw it on the front of the newspaper and dropped the dog in the parking lot,” Heys said. “We think they should be arrested and brought to justice. It’s the principle of the thing. You don’t steal a dog.”

While Shiloh was missing, four women called the APL and put up a combined $700 reward. The money will be used as a reward for information leading to the conviction of the dognappers, Heys said.

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