Ransoming a dog

Here's a ponderable: Is it really a ransom situation if you know the people and owe them money anyway? It might be. I don't know. But I am genuinely curious.

San Antonio Police said two men intended to keep a disabled veteran's chihuahua for ransom.

Charles Stone from the Southside said the men took his 6-year-old chihuahua, "Guero," and held the dog ransom.

...

The men said Stone owed them upwards of $1,500. Because Stone wasn't timely in paying up, the men also allegedly tried to charge him interest.

...

The two men, whose names have not yet been released, are facing a charge of theft of a disabled person, which is a felony.

(from KSAT-12)

The dog was gone for about two weeks, and the police set up a sting operation to nab the two guys.

Which brings up my next question: A sting operation? Was that necessary? If someone steals someone else's dog, and then that person calls the police to say, Hey, those guys stole my dog, why wouldn't the police just go over to the dudes' house and say, Is that your dog? And then arrest them if they admit it's not theirs. I'm thinking that might be quicker than setting up a sting, and Guero would have been home sooner.

But then, that might not have made the news. Maybe.