Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott -- Dognappers Collared ... After Jacking RB's Beloved Pooch

Great news for Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott -- the adorable dog that was STOLEN from his home has been found ... and cops nabbed the people suspected of the dognapping.

Elliott and his father Stacy begged the public for help when their dog Chase -- an Alaskan Malamute-German Shepherd mix -- was stolen from the family home in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday.

The scumbags who took Chase reportedly cut through a fenced off area to snatch the pooch.

But things turned around Tuesday morning -- when someone found Chase chained to a nearby fence and returned him to the Elliotts!