Lucky the stolen dog featured on billboards around Pittsburgh area

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Several billboards are going up around the Pittsburgh area in an effort to find Lucky, the dog that was inside a veteran's car when it was stolen in Westmoreland County last month. 

The Lamar Advertising Agency donated space to help get the word out about Lucky. There are seven billboards across the Pittsburgh area in places like Forbes Avenue, West Liberty Avenue, Route 19 and Route 28. Lamar says they'll be up until Sunday. 

It's been two weeks since police said Kenneth Crider stole 87-year-old Willard Martz's car, taking the 10-year-old Airedale-terrier mix with him. 

Martz told police that after he parked at the Tractor Supply in East Huntingdon on Sept. 23, someone stole his keys from his pocket. Investigators said the suspect, later identified as Crider, hopped into Martz's car and drove off with Lucky. 

While Crider was later caught in North Carolina after sheriff's deputies said he led them on a chase, Lucky wasn't with him. Officials said Crider told them he let Lucky go at a rest stop between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Nash County, North Carolina. 

The community has rallied to find Lucky, with over 10,000 people joining a Facebook group called "Bring Lucky HOME to PA." 

Martz said it's been "hell" living without Lucky. "It's like a big empty hole, and (Lucky) filled it, and it's getting deeper and emptier every day," Martz said after Crider was found without Lucky.