LEWISTON – A puppy snatched from a woman in a parking lot Sunday was reunited with its owner Tuesday after clues about the theft surfaced on MySpace.

No charges were filed in the dog-snatching but police said they are investigating, and there is a chance an arrest could be made.

At the center of the case is a toy poodle estimated to be worth $650. The dog’s name is Miracle, because, according to its owner, it was born dead and later revived.

Kathy Cyr said she had planned to sell the 4-week-old puppy and she was contacted by a local man interested in buying her.

During the weekend, police said, the two arranged to meet in a parking lot along Main Street so that the woman could show Miracle to the prospective buyer.

The pair stood outside discussing the animal, which the woman had brought with her. Then, police said, what appeared to be a smooth transaction took a weird turn.

“The man said it was cold outside and suggested they get into the car to continue talking about the dog,” said police officer Ryan Guay, who was investigating the caper. “She got inside her car but he never did. When she turned around, he was gone.”

So was Miracle.

Police said bold thefts of animals are uncommon but not unheard of in the area. In the case of Cathy Cyr, the most basic of theft techniques was employed.

“The man said he wanted to hold the dog; she let him, and he took off with it,” said Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout, who was part of the investigation.

It might have ended there were it not for a little luck and a lot of legwork on Cyr’s part.

Police investigating the incident were attempting to use Cyr’s phone to track the dog thief. But the number he had used to contact the woman was listed as private, so there was no direct path back to him.

Meanwhile, Cyr created several fliers with photos of the dog and began to circulate them around the city. She called veterinary offices throughout the state and circulated her flyer to them.

“I was in contact with vets from Van Buren to Kittery,” Cyr said Tuesday. “I had to do quite a bit of detective work.”

Effectively, as it turned out. A young woman who saw one of Cyr’s flyers at a vet’s office later saw the same puppy on a MySpace page. That woman contacted Cyr and directed her to the Web page, which ultimately led to the address of the man she believed had taken Miracle.

Cyr abandoned the sleuthing and went for the direct approach.

“She went over there,” Guay said.

Specifically, Cyr went to an apartment on Pierce Street, where she found the man she believed was the one she had met in the parking lot.

The man, however, denied all of it. The only toy poodle he was familiar with, he said, belonged to a relative and would not give it back.

Strout helped search the Pierce Street apartment but the purloined puppy was not found. He and Guay believed they were closing in on the suspect, however, and were prepared to dig deeper into the theft.

Then it ended with a whimper.

“The guy came in and handed over the dog,” Strout said. “He said he never took it. He said someone else had it but then gave it away.”

Or something.

Police could not positively identify that man as the one who took the puppy, so he was not immediately charged. Strout took possession of the poodle and returned it to Cyr.

“She was crying when I gave the dog back,” he said.

Police are continuing to investigate. While the case is a bit unusual, deputy Chief Michael Bussiere said it is being handled like any other potential theft. He was also happy to hear that the incident ended happily.

“We’re certainly glad to see the puppy and its owner reunited,” Bussiere said.

Miracle, who at 4 weeks already has more history than most dogs, was in good health on Tuesday. Cyr said she won’t have the same difficulties with her puppy in the future.

“She’s not for sale anymore,” Cyr said. “We’re keeping her.”