Dog nabit! Missing pup found, dyed a different color

Coco has one heck of a dye job, but she isn't using it to cover up any grays.

The 8-month-old pitbull, who went missing from her San Jacinto, Calif., home on Thanksgiving, was found Dec. 19 by the Riverside County Department of Animal Services looking a little different, The Press-Enterprise reported.

Her reddish-brown fur spotted with patches of white was much darker, noticeably black and deeper brown, and she was recognizable only by the microchip implanted in her body.

Officials believe Coco was stolen and dyed a different hue by a still-unknown assailant to push away any suspicion about the dog's past. Despite the new look, the dye will have no long-term effects.

She is now reunited with owners Christopher Ingrassi and Heather Lowry.

"When I was called, I didn't believe it," Lowry told Animal Services officials, according to a news release. "I was shocked. I didn't think someone would go as far as to dying a dog's fur to keep them. I don't think that person knew that she was microchipped."

Contributing: The Associated Press