The Live Oak Police Department's beloved K9 officer Warrant has been found safe, according to a post on the city's Facebook page.
Police say Warrant is weak and underweight. The dog has fractures on his front leg and injuries to his mouth. He also has a broken left rear leg that needs surgery.
The department hopes that installing a plate to fix the break will allow Warrant to recover enough to return to duty
Due to Warrant's overall condition and cleanliness, Live Oak Police say they believe someone had him ‘contained’ and not running around free. Injuries to the mouth suggest he may have chewed his way out.
Warrant is at the vet until he can have surgery.
The Seguin Police Department reported that a citizen spotted Warrant in a field. The dog was on a trajectory back to his home, said Live Oak officer David Wall, Warrant's handler.
“I just wish that I could hug every single person who has responded and tried to help,” said Wall.
The dog had been missing for over a week. A cash reward was offered to the public for his safe return.
BACKSTORY:
Initially, there were no credible leads, but the hunt was on for 'Warrant'. The police department handed out 2,000 missing fliers in the area. Wall said at the time that he was sick to his stomach that his partner was gone.
"It just kills you," he said. "It kills you as a person because this dog means the world to me."
Officer Wall called his sidekick a handful.
"He is young," he said. "He wants to get out. He is destructive. He found a way out, and made his way out."
The Dutch Shepherd broke out of his kennel and then the garage last Saturday.
"There is a hole that I could crawl through on the side of my garage," Wall said. 'He is very destructive."
Officer Wall noticed his crime-fighting partner was missing the next day.
"The first eight hours there were eight-to-14 police officers driving along trying to find him," he said.
His picture had been shared all over social media.
"We are under the impression that somebody has him, because no sightings, nobody has seen him," Wall said. "And, God willing, we have no reports he is dead on the side of the road, or has been hit by a car."
Warrant is certified in finding illegal drugs and loves to take down the bad guys.
"I mean, I depend on him to take care of my back when we are on calls, and he will," Wall said. "I feel like I have let him down, by not being able to find him."
