The beloved puppy and "best friend" of Maia Hood has been returned to the "ecstatic" four-year-old after being stolen on Monday.
Check out the duo's reunion here:
Police believe eight-week-old Labrador puppy Sasha was stolen from the family's home in Croydon Hills in eastern Melbourne while the family were out early on Monday morning.
A laptop, an iPad and jewellery were also taken.
But Sasha has turned up in the backyard overnight to the delight of the whole family.
"I can't believe it, it's really amazing. We had our fingers crossed but we didn't want to get our hopes up," Maia's dad Ryan said on 3AW radio of the pup's return.
"This morning my wife got up to make herself a coffee then walked past the sliding door and noticed a figure moving near the kennel. She started thinking 'was it Sasha?'"
The family still aren't sure how little Sasha made her way home.
"We think that whoever took her has either had a conscience or got scared and just dropped her over the fence," Ryan told the radio station.
Posters had been pinned around the local area, begging the theft to return the much-loved pet.
"Either way we don't care to be honest -- we're just happy to have her back."
Victoria Police have welcomed the pup's return but are continuing to investigate the theft of the other items.
