Missing Assistance Dog Found, Returned To Hanover Owners

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – An assistance dog that went missing from its Hanover home Tuesday was found Wednesday night and returned to its owners.

A black Labrador retriever named Geena went missing from the Pinor's family home at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The dog provides assistance to 17-year-old Tyler Pinor, who has cerebral palsy. The dog was located Wednesday night by a neighbor nearby. When the dog was found, it was not wearing a collar and didn't have identification tags.

The neighbor went online to check Craiglist.org for any posts about a missing black lab. A family in Elk River who discovered the dog was not theirs, but took it home to ensure it didn't end up at a shelter. Community residents searching for the dog talked to the neighbor about the missing dog, who then immediately contacted the Elk River family and the dog was returned to its owners in Hanover.

Can Do Canines, which matches assistance dogs with people with disabilities, said this serves as a good reminder of the proper procedures to follow when a dog is found. Experts said when a dog is found, it should first be taken to a local veterinarian, human society or animal control center to check for a microchip. If there isn't one, a lost dog report should be filed.

Can Do Canines officials said Geena is microchipped and had the dog been brought to a scanning center, Can Do Canines would have been contacted and had the dog returned.