ESCONDIDO - The story of Mimi and Poxy, two Escondido pets who were dognapped when their owners' car was stolen, ended happily Wednesday with an emotional reunion at a South Bay animal shelter, and the suspected car thief behind bars.

Frank and Michelle Bless were out of town when they got a call about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday letting them know that the woman suspected of stealing their car had been arrested, and their dogs were being held in an East County shelter.

They caught the next flight to San Diego for the reunion, said Laurie Joniaux, regional director for the county's Animal Services.

It was "fantastic," Frank Bless said of getting the call. "They'll definitely get some extra treats when they get home. We'll cuddle a lot," he said.

The call came after officers spotted the Bless' vehicle at 9:37 a.m. and notified Escondido police, who chased and arrested Mercedes Cortelezzi, 21, of Carlsbad, Lt. Tom Albergo said.

A patrol officer tried to pull Cortelezzi over, but the driver refused and crashed into a tree at Indian Place and Midway Drive and allegedly attempted to run the officer over, he said.

Cortelezzi was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, evading police, possession of stolen property and a parole violation, a sheriff's sergeant said.

Later in the afternoon, as the Blesses waited in front of the Bonita Animal Shelter, an attendant brought them their pooches.

"They were just pulling on the animal caretaker because they were so excited and they could see (their owners). It was really cute. They were howling and they were jumping on them. It was really sweet," said Joniaux.

The owners dropped to their knees and hugged and kissed the dogs, she said. The couple said the 3-year-old Boston and rat terrier mixes did not look the worse for wear, and they were very happy about that, Joniaux said.

The dogs were in the Infiniti on Sunday afternoon in a YMCA parking lot in Escondido when it was stolen, and were apparently turned loose in Lakeside sometime after that, Animal Services authorities said. They were found by a good Samaritan on Tuesday, who contained the friendly dogs and called the shelter, Joniaux said.

Authorities said that while they do not advise people to leave pets alone in a car, they did not consider the Blesses negligent. Animal Services spokeswoman Lesley Kirk said there is a law that makes it illegal to leave pets in a vehicle with the windows rolled up, but that was not the situation in this case.

The litter mates, who were raised by the Blesses since they were 8 weeks old, were both implanted with microchips, Joniaux said.

The dogs were scanned Tuesday, but the owners were not notified until Wednesday after police confirmed with the shelter that they were the missing dogs, she said.

Joniaux said that the best part of the story is the message it sends to pet owners about implanting microchips.

"It's extremely important because every shelter in town scans for them. It's the quickest, fastest way to get your animal home because tags or collars can come off," she said.

Frank Bless said they are grateful for the microchips.

"Everybody should have it," he said. "It's a fantastic program."

- Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com.