Service dog who went missing after truck theft in St. Paul found safe
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Police say a missing service dog was found safe Thursday evening after the pickup truck he was in was stolen Wednesday morning in St. Paul.
Greg Flanagan says his dog Duke came into his life about five years ago after having a conversation with his daughter.
"When she was 12, she came up to me and said, 'What are we gonna do when I'm not here if something happens? Smoke alarm, phone calls, if there's an emergency? You need to have a service dog,'" he said.
Flanagan, who is Deaf, says the difference in the quality of his life was immediate.
"He brings my anxiety levels down. He brings the ability to sleep at night comfortably and soundly. From a safety standpoint, if there was ever a fire, he'd alert me. If there was a smoke alarm so I can get out of my house and not die," he said.
He says he stepped out of his running truck for just seconds to drop something off at a job site in St. Paul early Wednesday.
"My driver's door was open, that's how long it was going to take me, you know. Run up the steps, drop the paint and come back out. Gone! It happened like that," he said.
His truck, with Duke inside, was stolen.
"It's a big deal and I need my dog back. So I hope whoever, if somebody has him, give him back," Flanagan said.
Police say the stolen vehicle was recovered at about 5 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Mendota and Wells streets on the east side of St. Paul, but Duke was not inside the vehicle.
Police say late Thursday night, someone found Duke in the area of Interstate 94 and Lexington Avenue. They were able to get in touch with Flanagan and reunite them.
A suspect in the truck's theft is in custody, and police say they are working to determine if anyone else was involved.
