Active soldier allowed to reclaim pet dog after ex-girlfriend sold it while he was deployed

FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 18 (UPI) -- An American soldier deployed in Afghanistan may be able to reclaim his dog after Facebook supporters pressured the family who bought it from his ex-girlfriend to return the pet to his original owner.

When Robert Gabbert was deployed to Afghanistan in March, he left his 3-year-old Shiba Inu named Baxter in the care of an ex-girlfriend. Not wanting to care for the dog, the ex-girlfriend sold the animal on Craigslist, prompting Gabbert to begin an immediate search.

"I am currently deployed and my ex sold my dog," Gabbert's wrote on a local Craigslist post.

"I just found out and I am trying to find the people (person) who bought him. I will pay anything to get him back. His name is Baxter and he is an Shiba Inu. I do not have my phone with me. You can email me. The phone number is my mom's she is helping me locate him. If you have any information PLEASE give us a call or an email."

After the note went viral, the dog was tracked down in another military home, where the family resisted giving up their newly-acquired pet.

"They keep saying they have children that are attached," Karen Fraley, Gabbert's mother told local reporters. "Well my child is attached to the dog. Just because he is older doesn't mean he is not my child."

After online supporters rallied around Gabbert and Baxter, the family caved to pressure and a $1,400 offer to return the pet to his original owner.

"There are plenty of adoptable shiba inus out there," a representative for the Colorado Shiba Inu Rescue told ABC News. "We are more than willing to find the family a new dog and they can adopt a puppy that needs a home."