She was actually trying to recover her own dog. She wasn't trying to steal someone else's. She moved out to Cali and apparently left her dog in the care of someone who was competent enough to do so. The dog got away some how and ended up at the home of this person from whom she allegedly tried to steal the dog. She loves her dog and that's why she drove from Cali just to get him/her. Granted, the dog is/was probably better off with it's new parent than she would be with her, but whatever. She did it out of selfishness, I mean love.