Missing puppy turns up for sale online: Now Fatboy gets fat welcome home

EVERETT -- The owner of a dog that was feared stolen was so desperate to find her pet that she took to social media to spread the word.

Those online posts went viral on Tuesday and, in a matter of hours, the dog was reunited with its owners.

The 9-week-old puppy named Fatboy, a gottiline/razors edge pitbull, somehow got loose from his yard on Federal Avenue in Everett.

“My heart was gonna stop,” said Joshua Smith. “I was thinking, what happens if we didn’t get him back?”

Joni Gobin and her family only had Fatboy for a month – he was a gift from a family member. Joni posted pictures of the pooch online, hoping someone had seen him and that’s when comments and sightings started pouring in.

“That’s when it started,” said Gobin. “I said my kids were devastated and it was going to be a long night.”

Before long, online commenters found a teenager advertising the puppy for sale online.

“He would have sold my dog,” said Gobin. “He was selling him for $200.”

Joni called the cops and the teenager’s parents. Police arranged a reunion and now the puppy is back in the hands of his rightful owners, but Joni chose not to press charges against the child.

“I don’t want to ruin this boy’s life with getting him a felony,” she said. “He’s a high school kid.”

Now Fatboy is back home where he belongs.

“He’s in my arms right now and I’m very, very happy to see him,” said Joshua.