Missing Spinoni Italiano dogs may have been spotted in South Lake Tahoe

South Tahoe Now and Carson Now carried the story of a helicopter search for missing Spinoni Italiano dogs near Carson City, and now reports of the two pets being spotted in South Lake Tahoe are coming in.

On Friday night, owners Stacey and Lorne Bell were walking the dogs, Mara and Adele, in east Carson City along the Carson River and on the ridges in the Mexican Dam area. As Stacey went to take a photo, the dogs broke loose and took off running, possibly after a rabbit.

The dogs are ages 2 and 4 years old. They are hunting dogs and tend to run far and fast, said Stacey Belt.

They chartered private helicopter to search the terrain around Jacks Valley and Clear Creek for the dogs. They are bringing in a professional tracking team on Sunday if the pair haven't been found by then.

"Since the stories ran, there have been two sightings (of the dogs) in South Lake Tahoe, one at the Y and one at El Dorado Beach," said Stacey Bell. "Both sightings had the dogs in cars."

She is hoping that a Good Samaritan saw the dogs and picked them up for their safety. Stacey said when they lived on the South Shore, we would take our motorcycles/quads and ride our horses in exactly the area where these dogs are missing from.

There is a large reward for return of the Mara and Adele. Call Stacey Belt at 775-720-1073 if you have any information.