Investigators say “dog flipping” is a growing business. Murfreesboro Police set up a sting to catch someone who had been selling a stolen dog on Thursday.

A woman told investigators her dog went missing from her Franklin County home and ended up in a Craigslist ad.

Murfreesboro police agreed to set up a sting for her.

She would call the seller and pretend to be interested in buying the dog and when the seller showed up, officers would be there too. Unfortunately, the seller never showed.

“The operation was called off,” said Kyle Evans with Murfreesboro Police Department. “The investigation will continue into who is actually in possession of the dog and how that dog came into their possession; whether it was sold to them or if they stole the dog.”

Evans said police have been getting more reports of people saying their stolen or missing dogs are ending up for sale online.

“We’re seeing more cases where someone is stealing someone’s family pet and then selling it on an online site,” Evans said.

Full story on WKRN here