When Riverside County Department of Animal Services scanned a stray dog they had found for a microchip, they were a bit surprised. It seemed that the dog had magically changed colors.

The last time employees at the shelter had seen Coco, an 8-month-old pit bull, she was reddish brown with white markings – but this time she was black!

Coco was adopted from the shelter by Christopher Ingrassi and was implanted with a microchip. Then Coco disappeared on Thanksgiving in what is believed to have been an animal theft. To avoid detection, the thieves dyed the dog black.  But she was able to escape this week and was picked up by an animal control officer.

“We believe it was an act of deception,” Riverside County Field & Shelter Deputy Director Frank Corvino said in the release. “The dye job is not very good. But it would work if someone’s looking for their missing, reddish-brown dog.”

A spokesman for the shelter said the dog should be fine and not suffer any long-term consequences from the dye job and has been returned to her rightful owner.