Boogotti Is Safe, But the Dognapper Remains at Large

Two weeks after being dognapped, Boogotti, a lovely three-and-a-half pound Maltese in the prime of life, has been safely returned to his owners, Ray J and Princess Love.

The couple was offering a $20k reward for Boogotti’s safe return and had video footage of the pup being stolen outside Ray J’s parents’ home by a white man who looked to be in his early twenties driving a Dodge Charger. According to TMZ, someone claiming to be a neighbor of the dognapper contacted Ray J and Princess Love about returning Boogotti for the reward money. And then the situation became even shadier than it already was:

“Sources close to Ray and Princess tell us she was contacted by a man who claimed he believed his neighbor had their pooch. She asked him if he could get a picture for proof and he did, and sure enough … an unknown person was holding Boogotti!!!

Here’s where it gets weird — we’re told Princess showed the photo to a friend, who happened to recognize the unknown person … and believed the man who contacted Princess had close ties to that person.”

Princess met the dognapper’s “neighbor” on April 26 at a police station, where she got her dog back then confronted him about knowing the person in the photo holding Boogotti. The man took off without his $20,000.

Now, police are investigating the theft. Since Boogotti cost $3,000, kidnapping him is a felony. Even though I got my dog on sale for $50 at a shelter after she was found eating out of a Philadelphia dumpster, I support investigating this vicious felony, perhaps by forming some sort of elite squad.

Ray J and Princess Love say they will still pay the reward if it turns out the neighbor really is just a helpful guy who cares about the well-being of celebrities’ pets.