ohmidog!

A California woman paid $10,000 to get her dog Lexi back after the Chihuahua-Yorkie mix was taken from her Cadillac Escalade while it was parked outside a restaurant.

The Contra Costa Times termed it a “reward,” but it sounds more like a ransom.

On  Friday night, Debbie Brown and her boyfriend left a restaurant in Concord and found a window of their vehicle had been smashed. Lexi, a 2-year-old “Chorkie” was gone.

Brown posted fliers promising a $10,000 reward, no questions asked, for Lexi’s safe return, which led to a flood of callers — none of whom had the dog.

She called a psychic for help, and a pet detective, who told her that chorkies are in demand and that dognappers target them for breeding purposes.

Over the weekend, Brown received photos of Lexi  via e-mail, and made arrangments to pick her up Monday morning in Alameda, where the cash and the dog were exchanged.

Elena Bicker, executive director of the Walnut Creek-based Animal Rescue Foundation, said the case shows the importance of never leaving pets unattended in public areas, especially small breeds that have been targeted by dognappers.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Bicker said. “And this certainly was a pound of cure.”

It’s not clear if Brown ever reported the theft of her dog to police, or how long she had left her beloved dog alone in the vehicle.

“She’s my life, she’s our baby,” Brown said. “I used to laugh at people like me and say ‘It’s just a dog.’ But she is a member of the family.”

In addition to all their other highly-exposed character flaws, Jon and Kate may not be the world’s greatest dog parents, either.

Jon Gosselin, the embattled father of TLC’s reality show “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” is now responding to allegations that he and his family have been mistreating their German shepherd puppies, Shoka and Nala, ABC News reports.

The allegations stem not so much from anything actually witnessed, but from a June 4 interview published on People.com in which Gosselin said that his kids often “beat” their dogs.

“Those kids beat them up, climb on them, pull their tails, bite at them, drag them around and everything you can imagine not to do to an animal, they’ve done,” said Gosselin, who described the dogs as “loyal creatures.”

Karel Minor, the executive director of the Humane Society of Berks County, Pa., told ABCNews.com that about a dozen community  members have complained about how the Gosselins treat their dogs — all apparently based on the interview remarks.

Minor confirmed that the two dogs have licenses in the area where the Gosselins live and that they are up-to-date on their vaccinations. “We have no credible reason to believe in any way that there is cruelty going on,” Minor said.

Gosselin, in a statement released to ABCNews.com, sought to “set the record straight” regarding the mishandling of his family pets, stating that his previous remarks about his kids were taken out of context.

“We understand the responsibilities of being good dog owners,” Gosselin said. “Whenever my kids are with Shoka and Nala, everyone is carefully supervised to ensure that no one — dog or child — is injured.”

“Shoka and Nala are loyal companions who we consider members of our family,” he said. “We would never do anything to hurt them, and treat them with the respect and love that they deserve.”